Expert jury selects finalists for Spielwarenmesse ToyAward

• Announcement of winners takes place for first time during fair on 31 January
• ToyAward Special with all nominees in Hall 3A

Innovative new products will be a particular focus of attention for trade visitors to the Spielwarenmesse from 30 January to 3 February, for they drive sales in the trade. The Spielwarenmesse ToyAward is an ideal guide to the jungle of products. Every year, the team from the industry’s leading event awards the prize to especially outstanding innovations that have high potential for success. The ToyAward is one of the most important accolades in the toy sector and is awarded in six categories: Baby & Infant (0–3 years), PreSchool (3–6 years), SchoolKids (6–10 years), Teenager & Adults (10+ years), Startup, and Sustainability.

214 exhibitors have entered a total of 524 new products into the contest for the prize. All submissions were initially assessed in a digital preselection process by an international expert jury, using the criteria of potential for success in retail, play fun, comprehensibility of the product concept, and originality. The innovations that scored the best went on to the next round. From these, the jurors selected three finalists for the ToyAward in each category. In the SchoolKids category, the jury nominated an additional product for children with visual impairment: ‘Braille Bricks’ from Lego. The assessment criteria at the joint meeting included not only the requirements covered at the preselection but also two further aspects: safety, and workmanship & quality.

The winners will only be announced during the Spielwarenmesse itself. On the Wednesday of the fair, 31 January, media representatives and content creators are invited to attend the celebratory prizegiving from 10.30 am at the Toy Business Forum in Hall 3A, followed by a snack lunch in the VisitorLounge. At the nearby ToyAward Stand, all the finalists will be on display from day 1 of the fair.

ToyAward nominees 2024

Baby & Infant (0-3 years)

• Basic Building Blocks – Multicolored – Haba (Hall 3, C-12)
• Tranquil Turtle – Green – Cloud B (Hall 2, D-20, E-14)
• Ulu & Tulu – Moluk (Hall 2, E-15)

PreSchool (3-6 years)

• Bluey 3-in-1-Transforming Airplane Playset – Moose Toys (Hall 12.0, D-10)
• Stix – OPPI (Hall 3, B-47)
• Wobbly Lili Path – BS Toys (Hall 3A, F-20)

SchoolKids (6-10 years)

• Adventure Puzzle – The Light in the Magic Forest – Franckh-Kosmos (Hall 10.0, G-20)
• Beat Board – KidKraft (Hall 3, A-42)
• LEGO^® Braille Bricks – Lego (Hall 12.2, P-01)
• Mistakos Platform – Trefl (Hall 10.1, C-09)

Teenager & Adults (10+ years)

• Domiknow Line – Carnaval (Hall 9, C-36)
• Katamino Tower – Gigamic (Hall 10.1, C-06)
• Tetris & Pac Man Arcade in a Tin – Fizz Creations (Hall 12.0, H-15)

Startup

• 3-in-1 DIY Hydraulic Power Engineering Truck – Byjarda (Hall 6, A-43)
• Artist – Hoppstar (Hall 2, E-14A)
• Magnetic Tile Topper – Learn & Grow Toys (Hall 5, B-63)

Sustainability

• Feber Recycle Eco House – Famosa by Giochi Preziosi (Hall 12.0, D-12, E-07)
• Horses of Waterfall – Playmobil (Hall 12.2, P-07)
• Snoopy – Tiny Teddy in Giftbox – Bon Ton Toys (Hall 1, B-08)

ToyAward Jury

This year’s ToyAward jury is made up of 13 international experts from the fields of retail, industry, market research, education and toy safety:

• Cathérine De Bleeker (Women in Toys France, President, France)
• Axel Dammler (Iconkids & youth, Managing Director, Germany)
• Andrew Dobbie (Gameplan Europe, Managing Director, United Kingdom)
• Sharon Keilthy (jiminy.ie, Owner, Ireland)
• Jörg Meister (Little big things, Managing Director, Germany)
• Thorsten Paedelt (Duo schreib & spiel, Managing Director, Germany)
• Andreas Schäfer (Idee+spiel, Managing Director, Germany)
• Dean Smith (JaZams, Co-owner, USA)
• Sue Warfield (American Speciality Toy Retailing Association, President, USA)
• Rainer Weiskirchen (TÜV Rheinland, Germany)
• Keri Wilmot (Pediatric occupational therapist, USA)
• Thomas Wodzicki (Freelance play educationalist, Germany)
• Jean Youn (Kakaokids, Head of Toy Business, South Korea)

Further information on the innovation prize, jury members and past prizewinners is available on the website www.toyaward.de/en.