High School Esports League (HSEL) — a division of global esports organization Generation Esports (GenE) — is excited to announce that the championships to their Spring Major gaming tournament begin today! Amidst nationwide school closures, thousands of high school student esports athletes persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic, taking part in the eight-week-long HSEL Spring Major online tournament from the safety of their homes for a shot at winning up to $1,000 USD in college scholarships.
The varsity-level HSEL Spring Major esports competition began in March 2020, pitting North American high school esports clubs against their peers in 12 popular multiplayer online video games. Champions across all titles are set to win up to $1,000 USD scholarship prizes, with top participants and winning teams throughout the tournament additionally awarded three-month XBOX Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions (valued at $44.99 USD), and select weekly winners received $250 USD gift certificates to Zaxby’s restaurant.
The HSEL Spring Major championships will also feature live commentary by premier esports casters. Esports Insider Hall of Fame 2019 inductee and Dignitas vice president, Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo, and others, will host select HSEL Spring Major finals matches over the course of the week live on http://twitch.tv/
The full list of esports titles featured in the HSEL Spring Major includes Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, FIFA 20, Fortnite, Hearthstone, Minecraft, Overwatch, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Super Smash Bros: Ultimate, Madden 20, and NBA 2K20.
The full HSEL Spring Majors grand finals livestream schedule is as follows:
- Monday, June 8, 2020 – 7:00 PM CST: Overwatch [Casters: Irelique and Zark]
- Tuesday, June 9, 2020 – 7:00 PM CST: Rainbow Six: Siege [Caster: Jazzman]
- Wednesday, June 10, 2020 – 7:00 PM CST: Rocket League [Casters: Irelique and Digital Bacon]
- Thursday, June 11, 2020 – 6:00 PM CST: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive [Casters: sapphiRe, topical_tv, and Boq]
- Saturday, June 13, 2020 – 3:00 PM CST: Super Smash Bros: Ultimate [Casters: Shope and Kargo]
While the intention of this championship was meant to be hosted in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HSEL prioritized student safety and will instead host the “Zaxby’s Fastest Fingers Award Ceremony” at the conclusion of each stream. All of the winners of the HSEL Spring Major will be able to redeem their scholarship prizing online after the events.
The HSEL Spring Major championship follows Generation Esports’ free online charity tournament, the “Social Distancing Cup,” which concluded in May 2020 and was organized in support of communities nationwide affected by COVID-19. Featuring a $30,000 USD prize pool, the Social Distancing Cup saw a surplus of 3,000 new registered GenE members. GenE makes it easy for communities of all backgrounds and ages to take part in competitive esport experiences, with both the HSEL Spring Major and Social Distancing Cup tournaments being accessible entirely online during the current global pandemic.
