The poker world will unite in Las Vegas on April 5 when the Global Poker Index and Poker Central hold the new, unified, first-ever Global Poker Awards, presented by online poker site PokerStars.

The GPI have decided to merge the American Poker Awards and European Poker Awards into a single event.

The new ceremony, which will be held at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, will bring celebrate all facets of the poker industry from around the world. It will be a recognition of the players, industry leaders and members of the poker media that have made their mark on the game throughout the year.

The ceremony will hand out twenty awards in a variety of categories that recognize the top-tier players, live tournaments and tours, and the biggest stories in poker.

“We’re thrilled to deliver streaming coverage of the first-ever Global Poker Awards show live from the PokerGO Studio,” said Sam Simmons, president of Poker Central. “We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the industry’s best and brightest while providing PokerGO subscribers a front row seat for all the festivities.”

The full list of categories and their nominees will be announced at a later date. Prior to the ceremony, a nomination panel will help determine each of the finalists of each category. Then, the winners are selected by a jury consisting of members of the poker industry.

“Our global initiatives behind the European Poker Awards and the American Poker Awards come together starting this year,” said Eric Danis, Global Poker Index president. “We’re excited to bring recognition to the poker world’s best players and most prominent industry contributors on an unprecedented scale.”

Although categories have yet to be announced, one should expect many of the categories from past years to make a return. These include GPI Player of the Year, GPI Female Player of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, Tournament Performance of the Year, Event of the Year, Moment of the Year, Poker Media Content of the Year, a Jury Prize, People’s Choice and a Lifetime Achievement award.

Just last year, the American Poker Awards also addressed the emerging segments of poker streaming, vlogging, podcasting and poker ‘influencers’, all of which were awarded trophies.

The PocketFives Legacy Award, an award presented to an online legend who has made outstanding contributions to the live tournament circuit, will also be returning at the Global Poker Awards.

PokerStars, which has been a sponsor of the GPI’s award shows in the past, return to be the premier sponsor for the event.