In two weeks, board gaming's most famous award could rewrite its own record book. The Spiel des Jahres jury hands out its 2026 trophies on 12 July, and two designers are each one win away from a feat nobody has managed in the prize's 47-year history: winning all three of its awards.
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Find events near youThe Spiel des Jahres family has three crowns. There is the headline Spiel des Jahres for the best family game, the Kennerspiel des Jahres for meatier hobby titles, and the Kinderspiel des Jahres for children's games. Plenty of designers have won one or two. None has ever completed the set.
Reiner Knizia could be the first. The famously prolific designer, with more than 800 published games to his name, already has a Spiel des Jahres (Keltis, 2008) and a Kinderspiel des Jahres (Wer war's?, 2008) on the shelf. The gap is the Kennerspiel, the youngest of the three awards. This year his tile-laying game Rebirth is nominated in exactly that category, putting the missing piece within reach.
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See how it worksMarkus Slawitscheck is in the same spot from the other direction. He shares a 2023 Kennerspiel win as co-designer of the deckbuilding tournament hit Challengers! and a 2024 Kinderspiel for Magic Keys. His puzzly shelf-stacking game Morty Sorty Magic Shop is up for the main Spiel des Jahres in 2026, the only award he is missing.
They are not alone on the ballot. The Kennerspiel list also includes Moon Colony Bloodbath from Dominion creator Donald X. Vaccarino. But the story to watch is the history: for the first time, the jury could crown a designer with the full set.
Whoever wins, the German awards are the surest sales boost in the hobby, so expect the victors to fly off UK shelves. Worth lining up a group to try them. Find a game night near you.
Sources: Spiel des Jahres | BoardGameWire | Wikipedia
