Game of the Year
2024 Nominations
What is Game of the Year?
Game of the Year (or GotY) is an annual award for board games, that is given to the best titles throughout the year in five categories - Kids Game of the Year, Game of the Year in Bulgarian, International Game of the Year, Advanced Game of the Year and Expert Game of the Year. Our jury of experts is divided into three groups, who test all kinds of games, from children's to highly strategic and heavy throughout the year, and find the best among them.
Kids Game of the Year
Games in this category have to fulfill the following criteria:
are published from March in the previous year to the end of February in the current year;
are aimed and kids and families playing with kids, are educational and are specially designed for kids;
are approved by the expert jury according to internal criteria, such as age, weight and availability on the Bulgarian market.
Game of the Year in Bulgarian
Games in this category have to fulfill the following criteria:
are published in Bulgarian language (localized or original);
are published from March in the previous year to the end of February in the current year;
are classified as family or party and have a maximum weight of 2.2* according to BoardGameGeek's scale.
International Game of the Year
Games in this category have to fulfill the following criteria:
are published in English (or language independent and available on the Bulgarian market);
are published from March in the previous year to the end of February in the current year;
are classified as family or party and have a maximum weight of 2.2* according to BoardGameGeek's scale.
Advanced Game of the Year
Games in this category have to fulfill the following criteria:
are published in English (or language independent and available on the Bulgarian market);
are published from March in the previous year to the end of February in the current year;
are classified as strategic or thematic and weight between 2.2 and 3* according to BoardGameGeek's scale.
Expert Game of the Year
Games in this category have to fulfill the following criteria:
are published in English (or language independent and available on the Bulgarian market);
are published from March in the previous year to the end of February in the current year;
are classified as strategic or thematic and weight above 3* according to BoardGameGeek's scale.
*at the jury's discretion the values of this criterion can be changed for certain titles.
Criteria of Evaluation
Game Design
Mechanisms
Interaction
Replay-ability
Rules
Layout
Clarity
Ease of Teaching
Presentation
Illustrations
Graphic Design
Component Quality
Originality
Innovation
Up-to-date
Authenticity
The Jury
Kids Game of the Year
Jordan Filchev
Chairman
Greta Marcheva
Jury member
Kaloyan Tsvetkov
Jury member
Ivelina Evlogieva
Jury member
Bulgarian and International Game of the Year
Vasil Lozanov
Chairman
Magdalena Sokolova-Cholakova
Jury member
Martin Tomov
Jury member
Teodor Kozhukov
Jury member
Advanced and Expert Game of the Year
Kristiyan Damyanov
Chairman
Asparuh Vitkinov
Jury member
Stefan Karamanov
Jury member
Vasil Mihaylov
Jury member
The Association
Nikolay Zhekov
Nikolay Zhekov is one of the founding members of the non-profit organization Game of the Year and is currently the chairman. He has over 7 years of experience in the field of board games as a journalist, content creator, editor and publisher. He prefers thematic games, is interested in the business aspect of the hobby and adores Eric M. Lang's beard.
Kristiyan Damyanov
Kristiyan Damyanov is one of the founding members of the association. Board games have been his main hobby for years and he is one of the most prolific gamers in the country. In recent times Kris likes shorter games more and more, but most importantly he is interested in board game conventions of all shapes and sizes.
Vasil Lozanov
Vasil Lozanov is one of the founding members of the association. He has been working towards popularizing board games in Bulgaria for years as an author, organizer of the Sofia Board Game Weekend festival and the Bulgarian designers community. Vasil loves deck-building and role-playing games, and enjoys the board games club culture.
Goals of the association
Award
Popularization of board games in Bulgaria through the award.
Promotion
Focus on Bulgarian board games and localized titles.
Stimulation
Assistance and encouragement of local authors and illustrators.
Events
Support of local events, clubs and organizations
Contact us
