What is the ToyAward?

Every year, countless new toys hit the market – colourfully packaged, heavily advertised, and backed by big promises. The ToyAward is the answer to the question of which of them actually deliver on their promises.

The Spielwarenmesse Innovation Award has been presented for many years by an independent, international panel of experts. Experts from the retail sector, academia, education and safety testing assess hundreds of entries every year – according to clear, transparent criteria.

For you as a consumer, this means that if a toy bears the ToyAward logo, you can rely on more than just the packaging when buying it or giving it as a present. For retailers, the ToyAward is a recognised seal of quality that makes purchasing decisions easier.

That's how the award works

Only exhibitors at the Spielwarenmesse are eligible to take part: they submit their new toy products, after which our international expert jury reviews all entries and assesses whether a product is genuinely fun, performs well in the retail market, communicates its concept clearly and is truly innovative.

In a joint session, the jury then assesses the most compelling candidates further for verified safety, as well as high-quality workmanship and overall quality. This is how the finalists are selected for each category – the winners are announced publicly during the Spielwarenmesse.

The ToyAward logo then accompanies the winning products throughout the year – on the packaging, in shops and on this website. This allows you to recognise verified quality at a glance, whether in-store or online.