FAQ for publishers: Frequently asked questions
Not all games are eligible for the award. A game must meet the following basic formal requirements in order to be considered in the selection process:
– The rules and all other texts relevant to the game must be written in German.
– The game must have been published in the current year or the previous year. Virtually unchanged new editions or anniversary editions of already known games are not eligible.
– The game must be available in retail outlets; prototypes, samples or small print runs will not be evaluated by the jury.
– There must be a distributor in the German-speaking region.
– The game must be playable on its own. Mere expansions will not be considered.
Games that do not meet all of these basic requirements are not required for the jury’s work.
No. In their capacity as game critics, the members of the jury receive review copies of new games or request them. Therefore, there is no point in sending games to the association’s office. The games are not evaluated here.
Games released by 31 March of the current year will be considered. The release date is the day on which the game is available for retail sale and is available as a review sample. Games that are only available as advance editions or special editions for trade fairs or exclusive distribution channels by the end of March will not be considered. Like all other games released in April, they may be included in the selection process for the following year.
Of course not. It is up to the publisher to decide whether or not to send review copies. However, only games that are available to all judges can be considered.
No – even if not all jury members ask for review copies immediately and at the same time.
One of the tasks of a game critic is to survey the market and look out for interesting new releases. So it may be that only one jury member approaches you at first and asks for a review copy. There is close communication within the association about the current year’s games. Members draw each other’s attention to interesting games. You should therefore be prepared for the possibility that all jury members may ask for a sample copy at a later date. If you are unable or unwilling to provide samples to all jury members, it does not make sense to provide samples to any jury members at all.
Automatic submission is only advisable in exceptional cases:
– If this means significantly less work for the publisher;
– To ensure that the game is received by the end of March.
Please note the criteria that games generally need to meet. Automatic sampling of games that do not meet the formal criteria is pointless.
No. For reasons of equal treatment, jury members receive all review copies free of charge and without any conditions; unfortunately, it is not possible to return them. Of course, the requested games are tried out by the jury members. In some cases – and without being able to guarantee this in advance – jury members also include the games they receive in their publications.
Please check the criteria to see whether your game is formally eligible for an award. If you believe it could be eligible for an award, the best thing to do is to email the jury members to draw their attention to your game. If they are interested, they will contact you.
Please note: The jury does not evaluate prototypes, samples, advance copies or small print runs. New editions of well-known games that are virtually unchanged are not eligible. Please do not send unsolicited games, even to the office.
No, not even if the game is offered on a crowdfunding platform or exclusively through a retail chain. Specifically, this means that a game must not only be available in stores on an isolated basis; rather, all retailers should have the opportunity to purchase the game through a distributor or wholesaler in the quantities they wish to sell in-store or online.
A member of the Spiel des Jahres jury initially only needs those games that are necessary for their work as a game critic. No publisher should feel obliged to automatically send all games. The member does not need children’s games for their jury work. If the member in question is also a journalist in the field of children’s games, they can request review copies in the same way as other game critics.
A member of the association who is only part of the Kinderspiel des Jahres jury initially only needs those children’s games that they require for their work as a game critic. No publisher should feel obliged to send all games automatically. The member does not need adult and family games for their jury work. If the member in question is also a journalist in the adult and family games sector, they can request review copies in the same way as other game critics.
Games with an age rating of ‘6+’ or younger are mostly children’s games, while titles with an age rating of ‘8+’ or older mostly fall into the adult/family games category. Games rated ‘7+’ fall somewhere in between. However, this is only a rough guide. In borderline cases, the members of the jury consult with each other. Whether a game is considered for a particular category can only be decided after it has been played by the jurors.
An advisory member does not require review copies for their association activities. If they work as a game critic, they may request review copies in the same way as other game critics.
The jurors publish a large number of reviews in a wide variety of media. These reviews give an impression of the opinions held by the individual members within the jury. However, due to the huge number of new releases, it is impossible for the jury members to publish reviews for even a fraction of the games they receive, so they have to limit themselves to a small selection.