Philippine Media Leads the Way at M7 Awards
Philippine esports journalism emerged as a global standard-bearer at the M7 World Championship, with Filipino journalists claiming two out of three of the awards in the M7 Awards for Best Media, underscoring the country’s growing influence not just in competition, but in how esports stories are told.
Best in Esports Business Journalism
Michelle Ortega Lojo of The Gaming Districts received the Best in Esports Business Journalism, an award presented by realme that recognizes reporting beyond match results—spotlighting partnerships, investments, and the business forces shaping the M7 ecosystem.
Her award-winning piece, “MLBB’s Partnership Pivot: How a Mobile Title Became the Go-To Global Brand Platform,” unpacked how Mobile Legends: Bang Bang transformed its partnership model to attract global brands such as Visa and the NBA. Rather than focusing solely on the tournament, the story traced MLBB’s evolution into a global marketing platform, offering an industry-level perspective on how esports can intersect with culture, commerce, and brand storytelling at scale.
Outstanding Feature Award
ALL-STAR’s Mario Alvaro V. Limos received the Outstanding Feature Award, also presented by realme, which honors consistency, depth, and impact across longform storytelling.
His piece, “Raising the GOAT: The Untold Stories of KarlTzy,” chronicled the life and rise of KarlTzy, moving beyond accolades to explore the untold sacrifices, family dynamics, and unglamorous beginnings that shaped one of Mobile Legends’ greatest champions.
For his piece, Limos travelled for three hours from Manila to KarlTzy’s hometown in Rizal, where he investigated the roots of a player widely regarded as the GOAT of MLBB esports. There, he talked with his grandmother, parents, aunties, neighbors, and even the owner of the computer shop where KarlTzy first learned to play. Their testimonies humanized an icon, presenting Karl not just as a champion, but as a product of family sacrifice and community support.
Rich in reporting and emotionally resonant, the feature demonstrated how esports narratives can carry the same journalistic weight and cultural resonance as traditional sports profiles.
A third award, the Trendspotter Award, was given to Indonesia’s Seputar Otaku, for their TikTok piece on Brigida.
Together, the two wins by Filipino journalists mark a broader moment for Philippine media, which continues to shape global esports discourse not only by covering victories, but also by contextualizing the industry, humanizing its stars, and documenting the forces that define competitive gaming’s future.
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