American YouTube streamer IShowSpeed won the Streamer of the Year award at The Streamer Awards 2026 on Thursday in Los Angeles, Kompas reported.
Wearing a red and white jacket, the content creator—whose legal name is Darren Watkins Jr.—beat out fellow nominees Caseoh, Joe Bartolozzi, Jynxzi, and Stableronaldo, detikInet reported. Watkins also secured the Best IRL Streamer title, defeating fellow nominees Cooksux, Evelyn Ortiz, Extraemily, and Qoosik.
Accepting the main trophy on stage, Watkins delivered his entire acceptance speech in Indonesian rather than English. His remarks referenced his career beginnings and addressed his audience directly.
“Thank you very much everyone,” Speed began his speech.
“Thank you so much everyone. I started from zero, just a little kid with big dreams. You’ve been with me from the beginning, you’re not just fans, you’re my family. I won’t stop, I’ll keep fighting for you, I love you all,” he said. IShowSpeed at The Streamer Awards 2026.
Indonesian Connection From 2024 Tour
The streamer’s use of the language stems from his September 2024 trip to Indonesia, where he hosted live broadcasts across Jakarta, Bali, and Yogyakarta, according to Compass.
During his visit to Kota Tua in West Jakarta on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, he interacted with fans, sampled local street food such as gorengan and nasi Padang, and wore traditional batik alongside Indonesian national team apparel while dancing to dangdut and playing the angklung. During his Yogyakarta broadcasts on Saturday, September 21, he wore Surjan traditional clothing, tried batik, played the kendang, and practiced traditional Jemparingan archery.
His broadcasts during the Southeast Asian tour regularly drew over one million concurrent viewers, Kompas reported. During his time in the country, he also learned local phrases such as “awas” and “minggir lu miskin” to manage crowds, alongside “santai” and “monggo”.
The annual streamer awards event itself was established to recognize achievements across the global live-streaming industry as digital entertainment consumption continues to evolve. Following his broadcasts in Indonesia and subsequent stops, Watkins' YouTube subscriber count increased.
Global Growth of the Indonesian Language
The moment put a spotlight on the broader international status of the Indonesian language, which is supported by Article 44 of Law No. 24 of 2009 regarding systematic government strategies to elevate Indonesian into an international language.
In 2023, Indonesian was designated as the 10th official language of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the language was further highlighted during the 43rd UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on November 4, 2025.
Data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology from 2024 shows that the language is taught across 54 countries through 523 institutions, engaging numerous active participants globally, with total speakers reaching 275 million jiwa. Programs such as BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia untuk Penutur Asing) have facilitated teaching in dozens of nations including the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Answers to Streamer Awards Questions
Where was The Streamer Awards 2026 held?
The ceremony took place in Los Angeles, United States, on Thursday, November 12, 2026, according to Compass.
Which categories did IShowSpeed win?
He won two categories at the event: Streamer of the Year and Best IRL Streamer, detikInet reported.
Who were the other nominees for Streamer of the Year?
The category featured Caseoh, Joe Bartolozzi, Jynxzi, and Stableronaldo, according to detikInet.
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