The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design (AAGAD) is a peer based network of gaming industry professionals whose mission is to promote innovation and excellence in design and production of games and game related materials.
Origins Award Winners.
The Origins Awards were presented for the first time at the very first Origins Game Fair in Baltimore in 1975. The purpose of the awards is to recognize excellence in game design, and increase awareness and sales for the nominees, winners, the Origins convention, and hobby games in general.
Any publisher or designer can submit their products for consideration during the eligibility period. Submissions in each category are evaluated by a jury of industry professionals who choose their top products. These become the nominees, which are sent to the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. The Academy places their votes by email and the winners are announced during the Awards ceremony.
During the show, attendees also have the opportunity to examine and even play the nominated titles in the Nominee Showcase Area, sponsored by Game Toppers. They are encouraged to vote for their Fan Favorite in each category, the winners of which are also announced during the Awards ceremony.
47th Annual Winners (2023)
| Category | Game | Company |
| Best Cooperative Board Game | Sky Team | Scorpian Masque |
| Best Gateway Board Game | Wandering Towers | Capstone Games |
| Best Light Strategy Game | Leaf | Weird City Games |
| Best Thematic Board Game | Freenlancers: A Crossroads Game | Plaid Hat Games |
| Best Heavy Strategy Game | Dune: Imperium - Uprising | Dire Wolf |
| Best Party/Social Game | Smug Owls | Runaway Parade Games |
| Best Solo Board Game | Legacy of Yu | Renegade Game Studios |
| Best Children's & Family Board Game | Diced Veggies | KTBG |
| Best Fixed Constructible Game | Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Commander Decks | Wizards of the Coast |
| Best Randomized Constructible Game | Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of MIddle-Earth Collector Booster | Wizards of the Coast |
| Best Miniatures Game | Star Wars: Shatterpoint | Atomic Mass Games |
| Best Puzzle Game | Threads of Fate | Post Curious |
| Best Role-Playing Game Adventure | Heckna! Deluxe Box Set | Hit Point Press |
| Best Role-Playing game Core Product | DIE: The Roleplaying Game | Rowan, Rook and Decard |
| BEst Role-Playing Game Starter Product | Dreams and Machines: Starter Set | Modiphius Entertainment |
| Best Role-Playing Game Supplement | Dune: Power and Pawns | Modiphius Entertainment |
| Best Dice/Dice Related Accessory | Glypic Blind Dice Bags Series 3.5 | Level Up Dice |
| Best Game Accessory | Frameamajigs | Hit Point Press |
| Best Role-Playing Game Related Accessory | D&D Icons of the Realms: Adventure in a Box | WizKids |
| Best 2D Artwork | Kwanchai Moriya, Empire's End | Brotherwise Games |
| Best 3D Component | Threads of Fate - Puzzle Box | Post Curious |
| Best Game Related Writing | Grace Collins, Shadow in the Night Part 2, Cozy Companion Magazine | Snowbright Studio |
| Best Media Production | Eleni Papadopoulou for Making Board Games - The CGE Documentary | 8-Part Series |
| Fan Favorite | Distilled | Paverson Games |
To see the full list of finalists by category for 2020, please click here.
Past Winners.
Download the .pdf below to view the winners from past years!
