Scheduled to take place on Thursday, 23rd of May at Hilton Malta, the exclusive ceremony will host 300 industry professionals for an evening dedicated to celebrating excellence. 

The twenty shortlists, covering categories like Game Performance, Game Creation, Game People, Streamers, and Casino Platforms, are now available for review, with the remaining three SlotCatalog data-driven awards to be revealed at a later stage.

In the Game Performance categories, the competition for the 'Slot of the Year' title is set to be fierce, with ten prominent studios, including AvatarUX, ELA Games, ELK Studios, Endorphina, EveryMatrix, Nolimit City, Pragmatic Play, Push Gaming, Red Tiger and Relax Gaming locking horns for the coveted title.

Pragmatic Play is in the running for multiple accolades, including the 'Slot Legacy' title with its Gates of Olympus, as well as the 'Game Mechanic of the Year' award for its MultiHold mechanic. Additionally, the studio is contending for the 'Game Feature of the Year' and 'Game Design & Art Direction' awards in the Game Creation Categories with Zeus versus Hades. Competing alongside Pragmatic Play for the 'Slot Legacy' award are studios such as Blueprint Gaming, Eyecon, Fortune Factory Studios, Games Global, IGT, Light & Wonder, Mascot Gaming, and NetEnt.

In the Game Creation categories, an impressive lineup of fourteen companies earned their spot in the shortlist for the 'Game Mechanic of the Year' title. These companies, apart from the previously-mentioned Pragmatic Play, include 7777 Gaming, BGaming, Bragg Gaming, Evoplay, Fortune Factory Studios, Hacksaw Gaming, Nailed It! Games, Omnigame, PearFiction Studios, Slotmill, SPRIBE, Swintt, and Wazdan, each having introduced a groundbreaking game mechanic that has either redefined industry standards or elevated existing features to offer players an unmatched level of gaming excitement.

The 'Game Feature of the Year' award also witnessed a record-breaking number of fifteen shortlisted companies, including Wazdan — with its unique feature in the Coins™ series —  the winner of last year's award in the same category. Other categories within the Game Creation segment include 'Game Licensed Content,' 'Game Retro-Style', 'Game Design & Art Direction,' and 'Game Music/Soundtrack.'

Among the noteworthy nominees for 'Game Music/Soundtrack' is Mascot Gaming, recognised for its Dreamshock Jackpot X soundtrack. Mascot Gaming has also been shortlisted for the 'Slot to Watch' award with Hook Up! Fishing Wars, 'Slot to Debut' with Crash, Hamster, Crash!, and the 'Game Composer of the Year' award for its Dreamshock Jackpot X soundtrack composed by Maxim Shulgin.

The 'Game Composer of the Year' award falls under the umbrella of the Game People categories, uniquely designed to honour the individuals responsible for the triumph of various titles. This year, alongside composers, recognition will be extended to game designers and product managers. Notably, ten individuals will contend for the 'Product Manager of the Year' title, twelve for 'Game Designer of the Year,' and seven for ‘Game Composer of the Year.’

On the streaming scene, three prestigious awards are on offer, honouring the 'Streamer of the Year,' 'Next-Gen Streamer of the Year,' and 'Responsible Streamer of the Year.' Competing for the 'Streamer of the Year' title are casino streamers Brian Christopher, CasinoDaddy, Chipmonkz, Classy Beef, Fruity Slots, GamDucks, Haddzy, Hideous Slots, and Kim Hultman (LetsGiveItASpin). Notably, Haddzy is also in contention for the 'Next-Gen Streamer of the Year,' while CasinoDaddy, Chipmonkz, and Hideous Slots are up for the 'Responsible Streamer of the Year.' Bob Slots is set to appear in both the 'Next-Gen Streamer of the Year' and 'Responsible Streamer of the Year' categories. 

Among the contenders in the Casino Platform categories, WA.Technology, Bragg Gaming Group, Digitain, EveryMatrix, and iGP emerged as notable presences, securing nominations in both the 'Aggregator of the Year' and 'Platform Innovation of the Year' category shortlists.