Spielwarenmesse
Spielwarenmesse ToyAward: 18 top products in contention
- All finalists to be presented at a special show in Hall 3A
- Award ceremony on 28 January at 11 am in the Toy Business Forum
Innovation meets tradition. To mark its 75th anniversary, Spielwarenmesse will once again shine a spotlight on outstanding product ideas with the ToyAward, taking place from 27 to 31 January. This prestigious prize is recognised as a mark of quality for new products that stand out for their exceptional creativity, high-quality workmanship and strong market potential. The award serves as an important guide for retailers seeking innovative products to enhance their ranges.
For this year’s ToyAward, 279 exhibitors submitted a total of 609 new products. In a multi-stage selection process, an international panel of experts first evaluated the entries digitally, based on criteria such as originality, play fun, comprehensibility of product concept and potential for retail success. The innovations with the highest scores progressed to the next round. Of these,
the jury selected three finalists in each of the following categories during a meeting in Nuremberg: Baby & Infant (0-3 years), PreSchool (3-6 years), SchoolKids (6-10 years), Teenager & Adults (from 10 years), Startup, and Sustainability. In addition to the preliminary round criteria, safety, workmanship and quality were also taken into account.
From sustainable concepts to digital play ideas, the nominees reflect the diversity and innovative strength of the international toy industry. During Spielwarenmesse, the ToyAward Special in Hall 3A invites visitors to discover the finalists. The official announcement of the winners will take place on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, from 11 am in the nearby Toy Business Forum. The award ceremony will be streamed live via the Spielwarenmesse Digital business platform and will subsequently be available there as video on-demand.
ToyAward nominees 2026
Baby & Infant (0-3 vears)
- Kuby – OPPI® (Hall 3/E-69)
- My First Tonies – tonies (Hall 6/A-34)
- Yookidoo Spray 'N' Roll Magic Book – EuroPlay Trading Solutions (Hall 3C/B-42)
PreSchool (3-6 vears)
- Der Berg ruft – Auzou jeux / Hutter Trade (Hall 10.1/A-08)
- Boxineers™ Cardboard Vehicles and Animals – Learning Resources (Hall 5/B-06, C-05)
- Thread-to-Calm Cube Group Set – Edx Education (Hall 12.0/E-05)
SchoolKids (6-10 vears)
- 3D Shapes & Shadows – Miniland (Hall 5/C-02)
- GyroDrive – fischertechnik (Hall 4/E-11, F-10)
- Temple Twist – Franckh-Kosmos (Hall 10.0/G-02)
Teenager & Adults (10+ vears)
- CluePuzzle – The Wonderbox of Alice – iDventure (Hall 10.0/19)
- Robosen Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Robot – Robosen Robotics France (Hall 4A/B-28)
- Rolling Drone – Wowitec Industrial (Hall 7/A-34)
Startup
- Akte Fehltritt – Momentum Games (Hall 3A/D-06A)
- Beaver Edu Construction Kit – BEAVER Edu SAL (Hall 5/A-83)
- LOGGOS-BN-M – Frechling (Hall 3A/D-07)
Sustainability
- Arches – Waytoplay Toys (Hall 3A/F-04)
- Cartonic 3D Puzzle KITTENS TRIO – Cartonic 3D Puzzles (Hall 3A/G-11)
- Lion Leonard – Yoobie (Hall 3C/C-09)
ToyAward Jury
This year’s ToyAward jury is made up of twelve experts from the fields of retail, industry, market research, sustainability and toy safety:
- Cathérine De Bleeker (Women in Toys France, President, France)
- Axel Dammler (Iconkids & youth, Managing Director, Germany)
- Andrew Dobbie (Gameplan Europe, Managing Director, United Kingdom)
- Patrick Friedrich (TÜV Rheinland Group, Vice President Softlines & Hardlines, Germany)
- Sharon Keilthy (SustainabilityWorks, Associate Director, Ireland)
- Jörg Meister (Little big things, Managing Director, Germany)
- Jennifer Rydén (Lek & Baby Swedish Toy and Baby Association, CEO, Sweden)
- Andreas Schäfer (duo idee+spiel, Managing Director, Germany)
- Dean Smith (JaZams, Co-owner, USA)
- Sue Warfield (American Speciality Toy Retailing Association, President, USA)
- Keri Wilmot (Paediatric occupational therapist, USA)
- Jean Youn (Toy Institute Korea, CEO & Head of Toy Business, South Korea)
Further information on the innovation prize and the jury members can be found on the website www.toyaward.de.