News

For the first time, the Play for Change Awards are opening beyond the toy industry. The new Special Recognition Award will celebrate an individual or organisation that has made an exceptional contribution to play and helped demonstrate why play matters for children, families, communities and society. 

The award aims to give greater visibility to these contributions and recognise work that has made a meaningful and demonstrable difference. 

 

Who can be nominated? 

The Special Recognition Award is open to individuals and organisations based in Europe that have made a clearly identifiable contribution to play. 

Eligible contributions may include, but are not limited to: 

• Research and evidence: new knowledge about the value and benefits of play; 

• Advocacy and awareness: greater awareness of the importance of play and influence on public, professional or policy discussions; 

• Access and opportunities: new, improved or protected opportunities for children to play, particularly for children facing barriers to play; 

• Education and development: the role of play in education, children’s development and well-being; 

• Community engagement: stronger communities, social connections or inclusion through play; 

• Innovation: new approaches, programmes, tools, models or ideas that contribute to the future of play. 

The nominee must have demonstrated meaningful activity, impact, significant milestones or recognition within the past three years. The work itself may have started earlier. 

The contribution may have an impact at local, national or European level. 

 

Who cannot be nominated? 

Individuals or organisations whose primary activity is the commercial manufacture, marketing, licensing or sale of toys, games, play equipment or related consumer products are not eligible, nor are current Play for Change Awards Jury members or TIE members and employees. 

 

What does the winner receive? 

The Play for Change Special Recognition Award includes a financial grant of €5,000 to support work that promotes play. 

The winner will be announced during the Play for Change Awards ceremony. 

 

How to nominate? 

There is no requirement for a lengthy nomination. What matters is providing enough information for the selection process to understand the contribution, its impact and why it deserves recognition. 

Submit the nomination here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/6wgkWEYFtx 

 

Selection process 

Once nominations close, all submissions will be checked against the Award’s eligibility criteria. 

Eligible nominations will then be reviewed against a common set of criteria, including the impact, significance and contribution of the nominee’s work to play.  

A shortlist of the strongest nominations will be put forward to an independent Final Jury, bringing together expertise from academia and research, civil society and the wider play community. 

The Jury will select the final winner based on the overall strength, impact and significance of the contribution to play. 

Do you know an individual or organisation whose work is making a real difference through play? We want to hear about them! 

 

 Deadline: 28 October 2026 

 

Help us recognise the people and organisations working to make play more accessible, valued and meaningful, and give their work an opportunity to go even further.