Origins Awards Return for 2022
GAMA is proud to announce the return of the new and improved Origins Awards! Since 1975, the Origins Awards have been celebrating excellence in the tabletop gaming industry. Although we took a brief hiatus, we are ready to continue highlighting the amazing work industry professionals are doing. To align with our expanded membership, we have added a few awards to ensure the amazing work of artists and media professionals are also represented.
The 2022 Origins Awards will feature the following 13 awards:
1. Tabletop Game of the Year - Best of Everything
2. Best Board Game - The primary play experience is centered around a board with components placed upon it.
3. Best Card Game - The primary play experience is based around cards.
4. Best Children’s Game - Gameplay is designed to appeal to players younger than 12 years of age.
5. Best Miniatures Game - Gameplay is centered around miniatures placed on a table.
6. Best Collectable Game - Game is designed around randomized packs or boxes of components.
7. Best Roleplaying Game Core Book - RPG books that introduce a new or revised set of rules.
8. Best Roleplaying Game Supplement - RPG Books that add material or adventures to an existing system.
9. Best Game Artwork (2D) - Best Game Illustration (2D) - recognition of a single illustration or other type of 2D artwork used as part of a published game product.
10. Best Game Artwork (3D) - recognition of a miniature figure, sculpt or terrain used as part of a published game product
11. Best Game Graphic Design - recognition of the overall layout and graphic design that enhances the user experience of a single game product.
12. Best Game Review – written, multimedia or actual play review of a game product
13. Best Game Accessory – recognition of an item used to enhance a published game product
Origins Awards Entry Rules
Awards Timeline
Eligibility Period: January 1, 2022, to December 15, 2022
Submission Window: October 1, 2022, to December 15, 2023 – review copies must arrive to GAMA by January 15 for forwarding to jury members. Failure to provide a review copy by the deadline will result in disqualification and return on submission fees.
Jury Sign-up Period: October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 (must be in place by early January to allow us to prepare the shipment of review copies by January 15.
Shipping Period: January 16 to 20: Review copies assembled and ship to jury members. Email list of titles per category to jury members along with tracking number so they know what is on the way to them. Depending on shipping they may have a few extra or less days to review.
Jury Review Period: February 1, 2023, to April 12, 2023 (10-week period)
Additional Important Date:
April 24, 2023 – Finalist Announced during GAMA EXPO 2023
June 24, 2023 - Origins Award Ceremony (Fan Favorite votes takes place during convention)
Submission Fees:
$35 per physical product entry, and $15 for the Game Artwork and Game Review categories. Fees will be used to help support the costs associated with the managing the awards program, as well as marketing and promotional effort to raise the profile of the awards and the winning products.
GAMA members will received one free submission per category as a benefit for membership. They are welcome to submit more than one title per category, but additional submissions will be invoiced at the standard entry fee. Non-members may submit product for consideration, but do not receive the complimentary entries.
Juries:
This format will result in the need for nine juries (the two artwork categories will share a single jury) of five people each, for a total of 45 volunteers slots. Five of the six review copies submitted by publishers will be forwarded to the members of the respective juries. The remaining review copy will be retained by GAMA for display purposes at both GAMA EXPO and Origins Game Fair.
Jury members receive:
Two free badges for 2023 Origins Game Fair (in addition to any GAMA member badges you may receive).
Invitation to the June 24, 2023 Awards Ceremony and Reception
Recognized as members of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design
Academy logo pin and AAGAD certificate.
They are welcome to keep the review copies that are sent to them.
