DEADLINE NEARING! Nominate Top Toys, Games, & Licenses for TOTY ‘18

September 11, 2017 | There are just two weeks left for toy companies and other industry professionals to submit their toy, game, and license nominations for the 2018 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. As a reminder, the nomination deadline is Wednesday, September 20 at 5 p.m. (Pacific). 

Known as the “Oscars” of the toy industry, the TOTY Awards celebrate the most creative and innovative playthings of the year. There are several new and renamed categories for TOTY 2018, including Playset of the Year and Plush of the Year. In all, there are 17 categories open for nominations.

Once the nominations are in, a group of 25 toy and play experts, retailers, inventors, academics, and journalists will review and rate the submitted products in specific categories that are relevant to their areas of expertise. They will consider each product’s creativity and originality; design and quality; play value; and marketing and promotion, before meeting in person to discuss and determine the roster of finalists.

This year’s finalists will be announced to media, bloggers, and industry professionals at Play Fair’s Industry Preview Night, to be held Friday, November 3, the night before Play Fair opens to the general public. At that time, TOTY voting will open for retailers, media, Toy Association members, and consumers (at ToyAwards.org) and remain open through January 5, 2018.

TOTY winners in each category – as well as the “People’s Choice” award (chosen by consumers) and the overall “Toy of the Year” award – will be announced at a ceremony on Friday, February 16 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City. The TOTY gala serves as the official kick off to the North American International Toy Fair and benefits the Toy Industry Foundation, which donates toys to children in need.

Visit www.TOTYAwards.org for the complete list of 2018 categories, an overview of the awards program, and the nomination and selection process. For more information, email toty@totyassociation.org.