The Pulse is beating, and The Toy Book is ready to reveal who’s behind it. The third annual Pulse of Play Awards return to celebrate the brands, builders, breakouts, and bold ideas making noise across the global business of play.
The 2027 Pulse of Play Awards span 20 categories across toys, games, licensing, entertainment, retail, and location-based experiences (LBE) while adding two new categories: Brand Refresh of the Year and Packaging Innovation of the Year.
Companies may submit their own nominations, while independent retailers, members of an anonymous industry panel, and the Adventure Media & Events (publishers of The Toy Book) team may also put names in the mix. To qualify, the work must have been completed, released, or commercially available between Nov. 1, 2025, and Nov. 1, 2026.
Independent retailers can enter Retailer of the Year (Independent, Specialty, Hobby) for free. All other submissions are $249 each during the Early Bird window, which runs June 1-July 31, 2026. The Standard rate is $295 per submission from Aug. 1-Sept. 30, 2026.
Finalists will be revealed in January 2027. Winners will be selected by an anonymous, independent industry panel and members of the Adventure Media & Events team, and honored in the 2027 edition of The BIG Toy Book, launching Feb. 20, 2027, at Toy Fair New York.
As always, a portion of proceeds from the Pulse of Play Awards will support organizations serving children and families in need.
This year, companies are invited to submit and manage their nominations via OpenWater, the same platform used to submit products for editorial consideration across all Adventure Media & Events publications.
Click here for full details on the 2027 Pulse of Play Awards.
New for ’27: Sponsorship Opportunities
A limited number of presenting and category sponsorships are available for the 2027 program. Contact Jackie Breyer or James Devin for details.
For questions regarding the Pulse of Play Awards, please email awards@toybook.com.
