The Spiel des Jahres has its board game nominations public for this year, with a, dare we say, diverse list of games for consideration at this year’s Essen convention.
The Spiel des Jahres (German for "Game of the Year") is a prestigious annual award established in 1979 to recognize excellence in board game design and promote high-quality games. Presented in Germany, it is considered one of the most influential awards in the tabletop gaming industry. The award is judged by a panel of German-speaking game critics and focuses on games that excel in originality, playability, design, and accessibility for a broad audience, particularly family-friendly games. Alongside the main prize, additional categories like Kennerspiel des Jahres (for more complex games) and Kinderspiel des Jahres.
Below are the full list of nominees, with the finalists presented in bold.
Spiel des Jahres
Foxy by David Spada, published by Gate On Games
Flip 7 Eric Olsen, The Op Games (KOSMOS in Germany)
Agent Avenue Christian and Laura Kudahl, Nerdlab Games
The Animals of Baker Street David Neale Clementine
Krakel Orakel Die 7 Bazis – Topp
Bomb Busters, Hisashi Hayashi, Cocktail Games (Pegasus Spiele in Germany)
Castle Combo, Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel – Catch Up Games
Cities Phil Walker-Harding, Steve Finn, Devir
Perfect Words, Paul-Henri Argiot, Tiki Editions
Kennerspiel des Jahres
Faraway, Johannes Goupy, Corentin Lebrat – Catch Up Games (KOSMOS in Germany)
The Gang, John Cooper, Kory Heath KOSMOS
Kauri, Charlec Couronnaud, Debacle Jeux
Looot Charles Chevalier und Laurent Escoffier Gigamic (Game Factory)
Zenith, Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel, PlayPunk
Medical Mysteries New York – Buffalo Games
Endeavor: Deep Sea, Carl de Visser, Jarratt Gray – Burnt Island Games (Frosted Games / Board Game Circus)
Kinderspiel
Syllabus, Urtis Šulinskas, Harris Tsagas – Gigamic (Board Game Box)
Kaptn Kuck, Gerard Ribas – Pegasus Spiele
Die Mausebande, Christophe Lauras – Game Factory
HiLo: Dein Konigreich, Emilie and Jerome Soleil – Schmidt Spiele
Cascadia Junior, Fertessa Allyse, Randy Flynn – Flatout Games, AEG (KOSMOS)
Topp die Torte, Wolfgang Warsch – Schmidt Spiele
What do you think of the nominees for this year’s board game awards? Leave a comment and let us know.
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