The 70th anniversary edition of Spielwarenmesse‘s ToyAwards will be held from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, 2019, in Nuremberg. The show will introduce an additional category and a digital preliminary round to the judging process.

The registration period to submit entries to the ToyAwards begins on Sept. 15. All companies exhibiting at Spielwarenmesse can enter up to three products in a variety of different categories. All entries are free of charge and can be registered at www.toyaward.com. The four existing, age-specific groups—Baby & Infant (0-3 years), PreSchool (3-6 years), SchoolKids (6-10 years), and Teenager & Adults (from 10 years)—will extend this year to include a Start-up Category. This section is open to all companies founded less than five years ago. The closing date for entries is Nov. 23.

Last year, 397 companies sent in 643 products. There will be a new digital preliminary round, in which all companies will be initially required to submit a product description, together with photos, and preferably videos in English to the ToyAwards website. Based on the descriptions, the jury of experts will shortlist the best innovations in the digital preliminary round, based on the following criteria: accessibility of the product concept, fun factor, originality, and potential for success at retail.

The shortlisted products will then be sent to Spielwarenmesse eG. The expert jury, comprising international trade representatives, educators, market researchers, and a toy safety expert, will come together to select three products in each of the five categories. During the final judging phase, the criteria from the digital preliminary round will be extended to include workmanship, quality, and safety.

The 15 nominees for the ToyAwards will be revealed on Jan. 24. The Awards will be presented to the winners at Spielwarenmesse’s Opening Ceremony on Jan. 29. More information on entering the ToyAwards can be found at www.toyaward.com.

About the author

Jackie Cucco

Jackie Cucco

Jackie Cucco was a Senior Editor of The Toy Book, The Toy Insider, and The Pop Insider. She covered toy trends, pop culture, and entertainment news, and made appearances on national and regional outlets, including CBS, WPIX, News 12, and more. Jackie spends her time watching horror movies and working her way through every Stephen King novel out there.

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