2018 TAGIE Nominations Open!
Contact:
Angela Drinkwater
Brilliant PR & Marketing
angela@brilliantprm.com
Submissions Closing Soon for the 10th Annual Toy & Game Innovation Awards (TAGIES) at ChiTAG 2018
Open to Industry Professionals through Wednesday, August 15th
CHICAGO, Ill. (July 30, 2018) – Time is running out to nominate the best and the brightest innovators, designers and marketers in the toy and game industry. Nominations for the 2018 Toy & Game Innovation Awards (TAGIEs) close on Wednesday, August 15th. Nominees will be honored and winners announced at an elegant and playful annual gala event during Chicago Toy & Game Week (ChiTAG), November 15-18 at Chicago’s Navy Pier.
Submit TAGIE Nominations Now through August 15 at: https://www.chitag.com/2018-nominate-for-tagies
The 2018 categories now open for nomination by all members of the toy and gaming industry include:
Toy Inventor of the Year
Game Inventor of the Year
Rising Star Inventor of the Year
Young Inventor of the Year
Innovative Marketing Team of the Year
Art and Design Visuals of the Year
Five finalists for each of the six categories will be announced on September 17th, at which time voting will open to the general public, media and industry.
A separate committee of industry experts will determine the honorees for the following closed TAGIEs categories:
Start-Up Award - New for this year!
Inventor Advocate
Hassenfeld Humanitarian Award
Lifetime Achievement
“The TAGIE nominations recognize the special individuals and teams from around the world who spend countless hours inventing, designing and bringing ideas for toys and games to life that everyone enjoys and that connects us to one another,” said Mary Couzin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Toy & Game Group. “The awards gala brings together everyone for an elegant evening celebrating these industry creatives for their vision, spirit of fun, philanthropy and humanitarianism.”
The TAGIEs ceremony takes place Friday, November 16th, 2018 with an elegant evening of entertainment that includes cocktail hour, a seated dinner and the awards program.
Winners and honorees of the 2017 TAGIEs (announced last year), sponsored by Mattel, LEGO, Hasbro, The Michael Kohner Corporation, Hassenfeld Family Initiatives, Longshore, Peggy Brown Creative, McGill Associates and Cartamundi were:
TOY INVENTOR OF THE YEAR (Sponsored by LEGO) - David Small and Paul Rago of Shoot the Moon, BB8, Barbie Dance Horse
GAME INVENTOR OF THE YEAR - Don Ullman and Steve Calhoun, Soggy Doggy
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR - Joyce Sprau, Flower Fairies Secret Garden
INNOVATIVE ARTS & VISUALS OF THE YEAR - Rory O'Connor and Anita Murphy, The Extraordinaires Design Studio
INNOVATIVE MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR - Spin Master, Hatchimals
YOUNG INVENTOR OF THE YEAR (Sponsored by Mattel) - Olivia Wasilewski and Brynna Siewers, Ship of Treasures
The Inventor Advocacy Honoree was awarded to Lisa Guili, General Manager of Educational Insights
The Hassenfeld Family Humanitarian Award honored Lurie Children’s Hospital
The Lifetime Achievement Honorees were Judy Blau of J. Hope Designs and Adi Golad, Founder and Managing Director of Goliath (sponsored by Hasbro and The Michael Kohner Corporation)
For more information, visit www.ChiTAG.com or email info@chitag.com.
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About the TAGIEs
Founded in 2008, the Toy & Game Innovation Awards (TAGIEs) celebrate the outstanding achievements of toy and game industry leaders from around the world, by honoring masters of innovation and invention. The evening also pays homage to industry professionals who differentiate themselves with their spirit for fun, philanthropy, inventor advocacy, creativity and humanitarianism. Inventors, designers, manufacturers, retailers, media and the general public come together for this prestigious annual gala event. The TAGIEs are hosted in the fall in conjunction with the Chicago Toy & Game (ChiTAG) Fair, the PlayCHIC toy-inspired Fashion Show and Toy & Game Inventor Conferences. For more information, visit http://www.chitag.com/tagies.
About the Chicago Toy & Game Group, Inc.
The Chicago Toy & Game Group, Inc. oversees toy industry initiatives designed to encourage and promote the power of play and invention in social, educational, and professional environments. Chicago Toy & Game (ChiTAG) Group initiatives include the Chicago Toy & Game (ChiTAG) Fair, the PlayCHIC Fashion Show, the Toy & Game Innovation of the Year (TAGIE) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge, the New Inventor Conference, the Professional Inventors Conference, Play in Education Conference, Discover Games and the Chicago Toy & Game (ChiTAG) Foundation.
