TIA Removes Gender Specific TOTY Categories, Adds New Categories and Judging Process

TOTY2017The Toy Industry Association (TIA) introduced several new categories for the 17th annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, including Action Figure of the Year, Collectible of the Year, Construction Toy of the Year, Doll of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Vehicle of the Year. These categories are replacing gender specific categories, such as Boy Toy of the Year and Girl Toy of the Year. TIA also changed the judging process to help determine this year’s finalists.

Nominations are now open for TOTY 2017, and toy companies, investors, and industry representatives can submit toys, games, and licenses for consideration across 14 TOTY categories through September 30. Click here to nominate and click here for the full list of categories and their descriptions.

Twenty-five judges, including toy and play experts, retailers, academics, and journalists, will use an online form to review, comment on, and rank hundreds of submitted products in specific categories that are relevant to their areas of expertise. They will consider each product’s creativity, originality and innovation; design and promotion; excellence; and marketplace acceptance. The judges will then participate in a live discussion to debate any categories that did not draw an undisputed roster of finalists during the online judging period.

In November, the TOTY finalists will be revealed and five ballots will open for consumers, retailers (one each for mass and specialty), media, and TIA members. At that time, public voting will also launch and will remain open at ToyAwards.org through mid-January 2017.

One winner in each category – as well as the overall “Toy of the Year” and the “People’s Choice Award” (the latter based solely on votes from the general public) – will be announced at the Toy of the Year Awards ceremony on February 17, 2017 at The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan.

About the author

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik was the Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book from 2020-2022. She was also a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.

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