NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2024 TOY & GAME INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS ARE OPEN!

People of Play (POP) is Accepting TAGIE Award Nominations NOW Through August 2nd

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS HERE https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhzyWobB30ZDA46svnkhW7sqC31-vV93yy16KyWdg7YtCNyg/viewform

Chicago, IL – June 10, 2024 - Now entering its 17th year, the TAGIE Awards, presented by People of Play (POP), will once again honor the best and brightest innovators, designers, retailers, suppliers, PR and marketers in the global toy and game industry – everyone that is part of a product’s journey to the consumer and the many communities that make up the larger industry of play. The TAGIEs are part of POP Week. This important recognition, honoring contribution, innovation, and spirit of community is the very heart of POP.

Following is the list of eleven categories now open for nominations for the 2024 TAGIE Awards:

• Toy Innovator of the Year
• Game Innovator of the Year
• Rising Star Innovator of the Year
• Young Inventor of the Year
• Innovative Art and Visuals of the Year
• Innovative PR & Marketing Team of the Year
• Most Innovative Retailer Award
• Most Innovative Supplier
• Most Innovative Licensed Product
• Game Changers – Innovation Heroes

This year the TAGIE Game Changer category will honor the innovative heroes of our industry. The people that make the industry innovative yet are seldom publicly recognized. Here is your chance to recognize colleagues that made a difference in our industry.

Karri Bean, Senior Global Licensing Manager, Disney Consumer Products and Host of the TAGIE Awards adds, “The TAGIEs bring everyone together for a star-studded night of celebrating the toy industry’s most talented people around the globe that define the bold and innovative individuals and teams of the toy and game industry... the People of Play.”

Nominations are open now through August 2nd. Finalists from each category will be notified at the beginning of September and voting will be open to the general public, media and industry, with the exception of Game Changer and Lifetime Achievement. The latter categories are selected by the TAGIE Awards Committee and the Lifetime Achievement Committee. The Awards Committee also creates the In Memoriam Presentation and selects the recipient of the Hassenfeld Humanitarian Award.

Submit your nominations for yourself and your colleagues HERE. There is no fee and the form is easy to complete!  For more information about the TAGIEs, visit the webpage here. https://www.chitag.com/2024-tagie-awards Photos from 2023 can be found HERE. https://www.chitag.com/2023-tagie-award-photos

About People of Play

People of Play (POP) www.peopleofplay.com  is the toy industry's most comprehensive networking and resource hub; a social platform and industry portal where toy industry veterans, newbies, inventors, buyers, job seekers, recruiters, consumers, and others come to find each other. Get up-to-the-minute toy industry, event, and product news; participate in live online educational and networking events; browse a vast library of expert resources; and peruse and post to the industry's only dedicated social feed., People of Play hosts a wide range of events including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge, the POP Roast, PlayCHIC and the Toy & Game Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference. www.chitag.com

About the TAGIEs

Founded in 2008, the Toy & Game International Excellence Awards (TAGIEs) celebrate the outstanding achievements of toy and game industry leaders from around the world, by honoring masters of innovation. The annual event also pays homage to industry professionals who differentiate themselves with their spirit for fun, philanthropy, inventor advocacy, creativity, and humanitarianism. Inventors, designers, manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, media, public relations, marketing and the general public come together for this prestigious annual gala event. The TAGIEs are hosted in the fall in conjunction with the Toy & Game Innovation Conferences, Chicago Toy & Game Fair, PlayCHIC and Young Inventor Challenge. For more information, visit http://www.chitag.com/tagies.

FREEMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA CONTACTS:

Amy Friedland ( afriedland@freemanpr.com ) 973-470-0400 x 25

Emily Potrzuski ( epotrzuski@freemanpr.com ) 973-470-0400 x 15

Susan O’Sullivan ( susanos@freemanpr.com ) 973-470-0400 x 12