Each product nomination must include a brief (50 word) product description AND a statement (up to 300 words) explaining to the nomination committee why the product is deserving of recognition on the TOTY Awards ballot. Consideration will be given to:
Finalists Selection
Finalists will be selected by a nomination committee comprised of 25 industry experts. Members of the nomination committee represent a cross-section of:
Toy Specialists:
- Academics; graduate students
- Inventors (requires signed statement affirming no conflict)
- Industry professionals
Journalists / Bloggers:
- National consumer magazine toy editors
- Trade magazine editors
- "Mommy" bloggers
Committee members will receive all the nominations submitted for review. Each committee member will rank the nominations on a scale of 1-5 on the following criteria:
- Creativity and Originality
- Design and Quality
- Excellence of Product
- Marketing and Promotion
Following the online evaluation, all committee members will meet for an in-person session to discuss and decide the TOTY finalists for each category. The selection of finalists will be based on both the data and personal statements provided in the nomination materials.
No single product can be a finalist in multiple TOTY award categories. If chosen as a finalist in more than one category, the responsible company will be asked to select which category finalist nomination it wishes to accept. For the category in which the nomination was declined, the next highest-ranking finalist will be selected so that each category ballot has seven finalists.
No company will be allowed to have more than 2 products in a single category.
Each product selected as a finalist will be featured on ToyAwards.org.