2024
29 April
Entries open
30 June
Entries close
September
Judging starts
5 November
Winners announced

The Play for Change Awards are open to all toy makers with products available within Europe or with initiatives running within Europe.

The Awards are open for submissions of entries between 29 April and 30 June.

You can enter the Play For Change Awards using an easy-to-complete entry form that requires the following information:

Company name
Title of Project/Product
Contact details
Countries included
Number of employees
Objective & Aims
Solution
Implementation
Results - Effectiveness & Impact
Improvement over existing product (if applicable)

In their applications, entrants must:

Declare that the product or initiative was launched on the European market from 1 January 2023 up to the moment of application in 2024
Declare that the award entrant is the IP rights holder of the entry

If not clear enough from the application or from the company's website, entrants may be asked for additional proof to clarify that the toy is compliant with the EU Toy Safety Directive.

Entrants are encouraged to include supporting material(s) in digital format only, for example:

Images
Video
Website links (not as a replacement for details)
PDF of printed materials

Physical Materials or Samples

Once you have submitted the online entry form, we will contact you to validate your application. If your entry is about a toy, we will then ask you to send physical samples of the toy to this address:

Toy Industries of Europe
Boulevard de Waterloo 36
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Please note that by 30 June 2024 at the very latest we need to receive the online application and the toy(s) by the 26 July. Please make the necessary arrangements to ensure that your toy arrives on time. Missing the deadline for sending the toy does not mean you are out of the competition, but your entry will be assessed only based on your online submission. This may lower your chances of winning.

The cost for sending toys to the TIE Secretariat will be covered by the entrants and will not be returned unless entrants cover the cost of returning. Non-prizewinning toys will be donated to NASCI a local charity that helps out disadvantaged pregnant women, single mothers or families who are experiencing temporary or structural difficulties.

Play for Change Entry Fees

The Play for Change Awards are organised by the Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), the international not-for-profit association of national toy maker organisations and corporate toy manufacturers. The awards scheme is non-profit making, with the nominal entry fees used to cover the costs of the scheme. Any surplus funds will be donated to NASCI.

TIE direct members per entry Non-TIE members per entry
1 entry €80 €100
2-4 Entries €60 €80
5+ entries €40 €50

Entering the same submission in multiple categories incurs no additional cost.

Why Enter

There are lots of national and international awards for toys. The Play for Change Awards carries the prestige, authority and backing of the Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) and are not based on sales, press coverage or profitability. They are judged on ideas, initiatives and products that contribute to society in three categories covering sustainability, education and inclusion. By entering you can:

Get your products and initiatives endorsed by experts in the different fields.
Present your company’s leadership in community, sustainability and diversity issues to buyers and consumers.
Get media coverage and general recognition as TIE will promote the competition and the winners to media in the toy sector as well as to European policy makers.
TIE will also use social media to promote all news around the awards and its winners.

Who Should Enter

We encourage toy makers of all sizes and in all product categories to enter the Play for Change Awards with product or initiatives that were launched on the European market after 1 January 2023.
Toy makers who are not members of TIE or its national associations are welcome to enter. Membership status is not taken into account by the judges.
Small and micro-companies are also encouraged to enter.
Companies should hold the IP rights of the entries they submit.

Award Prizes

Each category will have three winners who will receive:

A Play for Change winners logo for use on packaging, on promotional material, letterhead, email signatures etc.
A Play For Change trophy to get pride of place at company headquarters or trade shows.
Promotion on the Play For Change and TIE websites and social media channels and to toy industry press etc.
2024
29 April
Entries open
30 June
Entries close
September
Judging starts
5 November
Winners announced