Reminder: Submit Your TOTY® Nominations by August 23

August 9, 2024 | The Toy Association™ is reminding toy companies, inventors, and other industry representatives to submit their nominations for the 2025 Toy of the Year® (TOTY®) Awards by midnight (Eastern) on Friday, August 23, 2024.

The 25th TOTY Awards serve as the main annual fundraiser for The Toy Foundation™ (TTF), the charitable arm of The Toy Association™. All proceeds, including nomination fees, support TTF in delivering the joy of play to children in need around the world.

Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 TOTY Awards:

• Nominations are open now through Friday, August 23.


• Find the category descriptions, eligibility requirements, nomination criteria, and submission fees here.


• A nomination committee comprised of play experts, journalists, academics, retailers, and other toy experts will determine the official TOTY 2025 finalists based on each product’s creativity and originality; design and quality; and play value.


• Finalists for each category will be announced November 25. At that time, voting will open to retailers, media, Toy Association members, and consumers through January 10, 2025. New for this year, the Specialty Toy of the Year will be chosen based on votes exclusively from Astra members.


• A winner for each category, as well as the “People’s Choice” award (based solely on consumer votes at ToyAwards.org) and the coveted overall “Toy of the Year” winner (chosen by a panel of experts), will be announced at the TOTY Awards ceremony on Friday, February 28, 2025.

As the kick-off party to Toy Fair®, the TOTY Awards honor the “best of the best” in the toy space. The ceremony also honors the lifetime achievements of Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees, and celebrates the industry’s shared vision to create a world where every child experiences the extraordinary benefits of play.

Questions regarding TOTY nominations my be directed to Janis Zegman, senior marketing project manager at The Toy Association.