Award Winning Board Games       

One of the best ways to find great new games is to look through the lists of award-winners. There are many organizations that annually review board games and card games, but we’ve provided a list below of the top awards. You’ll likely recognize some of the games but you may find a few gems that you haven’t discovered yet. It’s a great way to explore the world of the best tabletop games. You may even find a new favorite!
 

Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) Winners The Spiel des Jahres (German game of the year) is the world's most prestigious game award for board games and card games. Since 1978, a jury of game critics and journalists meet annually and choose the winner based on four criteria:

Idea: Originality, Playability and Educational Value

Design of Rules: Organization, Clarity and Understandability

Layout: Packing, Layout of the Gameboard and the Game Rules

Design: Functionality and overall Quality of Game Materials included

The Deutscher SpielePreis, the second-most revered game award, is awarded by the magazine Die Poppel-Revue. The award generally goes to games that appeal to serious gamers and is based on votes from gaming clubs, journalists, game shops, and magazine subscribers. In contrast to the Spiel des Jahres, which tends to be awarded to family games, the DSP is awarded for "gamers' games" with particularly good or innovative gameplay.

At an annual gaming event, Mensa members vote for the five best games of the year, the Mensa Select Mind Games, based on originality, game play, aesthetics, clarity of instructions, and play value.

The International Gamers Awards were created to recognize outstanding games and designers, as well as the companies that publish them. The award attempts to represent the 'best of the best' not only for hobbyists, but for the general public at large.