The application for the ToyAward 2020 is closed.
You will receive an email in mid-December about the result from the digital rating. Please do not send your products to Spielwarenmesse eG until we ask you to!
The nominated products and companies will be announced during the main press conference for the Spielwarenmesse® 2020 on 23 January 2020.
Jurors 2020
Dr. Maria Costa
AIJU Technological Institute – Research Manager in Children and Leisure sectorsSince 1992 Dr. Maria Costa is the Research Manager at AIJU, a private children’s research center located in Spain, and deals with the usability testing of children's items. For 25 years she has been, the coordinator for the “Games and Toys Guide”, during this time she has also managed the analysis of several thousands of toys. She is the author of numerous posts, articles and books on this topic.
Axel Dammler
iconkids & youth, Managing DirectorAxel Dammler is Managing Director of iconkids & youth international research GmbH in Munich, Germany’s largest research institute specialised in kids and youth research. He has been working with young target groups since 1992 and has carried out numerous studies in national and international consumer and media markets.
Andrew Dobbie
Gameplan Europe Ltd., Managing DirectorAs founder of the British consulting company Gameplan Europe, Andrew Dobbie advises and publishes throughout the world on the consumer behaviour of children and products and markets for children and young people. As former European Marketing Director of Mattel Toys Inc, Andrew Dobbie has an extensive knowledge and many years of experience in the international toy industry.
Konstantin Frishberg
Detsky Mir, Director Toys and Games DepartmentSince the beginning of 2016, Konstantin Frishberg is the Director of the Toys and Games Department at Detsky Mir. Detsky Mir is the biggest children’s goods retailer in Eastern Europe with more than 600 stores in Russia and Kazakhstan.
Dr. Thomas Märtz
VEDES AG, Chief Executive OfficerDr. Thomas Märtz has worked for VEDES AG since 1999. As the cooperative buying and marketing group with the longest tradition in the German toy industry, VEDES offers SME retailers numerous services and in particular an efficient wholesale platform.
Jörg Meister
little big things GmbH, Managing directorJörg Meister studied product design at the FH Coburg. In 2010, after working for five years as an industrial designer for a globally operating company for baby hardware and toys, he joined forces with Eva Stemmer to set up the service agency for product design, consulting and PR with a focus on children’s products.
Nadine Müller
Premini GmbH, Managing DirectorNadine Müller has been testing toys with children aged 0 to 14, parents and pedagogical institutions for more than seven years and, as a trend scout, is always on the lookout for premium toys guaranteeing long-lasting playing fun. As a consultant to companies in the toy industry, her customised market research solutions are spoken highly of by those in the know.
Thorsten Paedelt
duo schreib & spiel GmbH & Co.KG, Managing DirectorThorsten Paedelt works for duo schreib & spiel since 2001 and became Managing Director for Marketing and Sales in 2002. The retail trade co-operation from Berlin covers 460 toy shops in Germany and Austria. The range extends from stationery and toys to products from the creative and lifestyle segments.
Jochen Pohle
EK/servicegroup, Head of Department in the business area familyJochen Pohle is Head of Department in the business area family at the multi-sector network EK/servicegroup in Bielefeld, Germany. Before that, he had been Purchase Director at the Spiele Max AG and worked in serveral managing positions for the Metro Group in Germany and Asia. Jochen Pohle is enrooted in the toy industry for nearly 15 years.
Andreas Schäfer
idee+spiel GmbH, Managing DirectorSince October 2011, Andreas Schäfer is the managing director at idee+spiel, one of the most successful toy trade co-operations for leisure, hobbies and games. Mr. Schäfer is a trained retail salesman. After working for an EDP-equipment store he got into the toy industry in 1990, where he gained experience over the last 20 years in Germany and abroad.
Dean Smith
jaZams, Co-ownerDean Smith is the co-owner of jaZams toy & book stores. jaZams has been in business for 22 years and has been rated as one of the 25 best toy stores in America. Before becoming part of the jaZamily Dean was an organic farmer.
Vincent Stozicky
JouéClub, France, Commercial DirectorVincent Stozicky has worked for the JouéClub Group for over 25 years and since 2000 as Commercial Director of SIDJ responsible for the import-export and sales platform of the whole JouéClub network and for the development of the corporate image at European level.
Marietheres Waschk
Education Officer of Jugendzentren Köln gGmbh (youth centres in Cologne), 2nd Chairwoman of the Forum Spielpädagogik e.V. association, social pedagogue and specialist in educational playAfter majoring in the field of working with people with intellectual disabilities and sensory impairment as well as in open child and youth work, Marietheres Waschk became an education officer for educational play and inclusion at Jugendzentren Köln gGmbH. She also runs an adventure playground in Cologne, where she carries out projects that focus on play and cultural education.
Rainer Weiskirchen
TÜV Rheinland, Press OfficerSince 1993, Rainer Weiskirchen works as a spokesperson for TÜV Rheinland, a state-approved independent trade agency that also checks the quality and safety standards of toys. The TÜV Rheinland tests and certifies products according to the German and/or European Consumer Product Safety Act. Their “tested safety” certification mark (GS) guarantees a high quality of products.
Thomas Wodzicki
BAG Spielmobile e.V., Project ManagerThomas Wodzicki is an educationalist specialized in games. He also works as a teacher of adult education and project developer for the German Federal Association Spielmobile e.V. Spielmobile is a Germany-wide network of working groups and the proper authority for the gap year, usually taken to do voluntary work in the social sector in Bavaria. n mark (GS) guarantees a high quality of products.
Tracy Wood
Toybuzz, Managing directorTracy Wood is a mother of two children from the UK, who used her experiences of toy buying for her children and turned it into a successful toy and game review website, which was voted the best toy blog in the UK in 2014. Gaining a working knowledge of toy trends, and working with brands and retailers along the way, she has been running the website Toybuzz for over 10 years.
