The Annual Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show — popularly known as the ED’s Awards Show — is the ONLY national awards show for the multi-billion-dollar gentlemen’s club industry and is produced by ED Publications. Established in 1998, the ED’s Awards Show is the marquee event of the Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO, the only national convention & tradeshow for the gentlemen’s club industry since its inception in 1993.

The ED’s Awards Show honors the country’s top gentlemen’s clubs, touring feature entertainers and club staff. The categories for clubs and entertainers have evolved over the years to keep pace with the industry’s evolution. Today, awards are given to clubs in four regions—East, South, Midwest and West. There are also club awards for “Feature” Club of the Year (clubs which book touring feature entertainers regularly), Urban Club of the Year, and Club Chain of the Year (“chains” are club brands which own multiple locations, such as Rick’s Cabaret, Deja Vu, Spearmint Rhino, Penthouse Clubs, etc.).

The most prestigious club award is “Overall Club of the Year,” a category which typically boasts eight-to-ten nominees from across the U.S. These are clubs that have either won or were nominated in their award region multiple times. In 2022, a new award — “Overall Small Club of the Year” — will celebrate nominees from across the U.S. that represent clubs that are either in smaller club markets or are venues that are not “mega-clubs” (i.e., less substantial square footage). 

The ED’s Awards also honor club staff, as they are the ones largely responsible for helping their clubs achieve their success. These categories include General Manager of the Year and Club Employee of the Year.

The Entertainer award category has been revamped for 2022. Reflecting the positive reception to the ED Awards in 2021, the ED’s Awards Show will feature on-stage performances by the two finalists from the 2022 EDI East and West contests. [Note: The Finals of the EDI East and West competitions will once again be decided during EXPO. The top two finishers from the EDI East and EDI West’s Showgirl Division will compete during EXPO on Sunday evening, August 14. The top two finishers will then move on to perform during the main ED’s Awards Show on Tuesday, August 16.] The full list of entertainer awards being presented at EXPO 2022 will include: EDI 2022 Champion, Feature Entertainer of the Year, Newcomer Entertainer of the Year and Miss ExoticDancer.com of the Year. 

Finally, ED Publications inducts at least one industry professional each year into its Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is reserved for those individuals who have helped improve or transform the gentlemen’s club and/or feature entertainment industries over the course of their career.

How are the nominees and winners decided?

For almost a decade now, the balloting process for the ED’s Awards Show has been conducted online (previously, all balloting was done through the mail on paper ballots). It starts with the “Pre-Nomination Voting Ballot,” where anyone from the gentlemen’s club industry (with a verified email address) will be able to vote for those clubs, entertainers and staff who they feel deserve to be included on the Final Ballot (an online ballot will be emailed directly to those with a verified email). This Pre-Nominations process will close after a two-week period, and the ED staff will tabulate the results to determine which clubs, entertainers and club staff will make the Final ED’s Awards Ballot.

Once the Final Ballot is completed, a new direct email link will be sent to all industry professionals with a verified email address. The Final Ballot remains open for voting for at least two weeks (typically in June), but the winners are not disclosed until the Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO is held.

 When are the winners announced?

ED’s Award Winners are announced each year at the Annual Gentlemen’s Club EXPO, during the Annual ED’ Awards Show. But because it is impossible to capture people’s attention for a three-hour-plus awards show, some ED’s Awards will be handed out prior to the “main” Awards Show.