Origins Award Winners.

The Origins Awards were presented for the first time at the very first Origins Game Fair in Baltimore in 1975. The purpose of the awards is to recognize excellence in game and product design, increase awareness and sales for the nominees, finalists, and winners, and elevate the Origins Game Fair convention, and hobby games in general.

Any publisher or designer can nominate their products for consideration during the eligibility period. Submissions in each category are evaluated by a jury of industry professionals who review and choose the top products. These become the finalists and the winners are announced during the Awards ceremony at Origins Game Fair in June.

During the Origins Game Fair, attendees are encouraged to vote for the Fan Favorite award, which is also announced during the Awards ceremony. The opportunity to view the nominated titles is available in the Nominee Showcase Area in the Exhibit Hall, sponsored by Game Toppers.

Honoring Innovation and Impact: Winners of the 49th Annual Origin Awards and GAMA Industry Awards Announced

GAMA is proud to announce the winners of the 49th Annual Origin Awards, honoring excellence in tabletop game design and publishing for 2025. Held during the Origins Game Fair, the awards ceremony also featured the induction of three influential contributors into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design (AAGAD) Hall of Fame, along with two game titles and a presentation of special industry awards.

Special Honors

Sustainability Award

Kavango. Published by Mazaza Games, and designed by Matt Brown and Zara Reid. This award recognizes games with thoughtful production and the publishers that take strides towards sustainable manufacturing to reduce the impact on the natural environment.

With more than 120 finalists across a dozen categories, the jury members of the Academy narrowed their selection down to the winning titles. This year’s honorees reflect the remarkable creativity, community spirit, and innovative evolution of the tabletop gaming world. Whether reimagining strategy or enhancing cooperative storytelling, these designers and publishers continue to elevate the industry.

49th Annual Winners (2025)

  
     
   
		Category
		Game
		Company
        Designers
     Artists
     

      Co-Op / Solo Game
		The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
		Z-Man Games
        Matt Leacock
      Jared Blando and Cory Godbey
   

      Gateway Game
		Railroad Tiles
		Horrible Guild
        Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva 
      Francesco De Benedittis and Barla Tranquilli
   

      Light Strategy Game
		Winter Rabbit
		Absurdist Productions
      Will Thompson & David Thomas
      Kindra Swafford & Jonni Ketcher
   

      Party Game
		Hot Streak
		CMYK
        Jon Perry
      Cécile Gariépy
   

		Heavy Strategy Game
        Speakeasy
		Eagle-Gryphon Games
        Vital Lacerda
          Ian O'Toole
   

      Fixed Constructible Game
		Riftbound: Proving Grounds
		UVS Games & Riot Games
        David Smith and Jon Moormann
        
   

      Randomized Constructable Game
		Gudnak: Expansion Bundle
		Chaotic Great Games
        Tim O’Brien and Ian Oliver
       Vittoria Pompolani
   

      Miniatures Game
		Blood Bowl Third Season Edition
		Games Workshop 
       
       
   

      Miniature
		Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - Festus, The Leech Lord
		Games Workshop
           
           
   

      Miniature Paints / Hobby Accessory
		Goblin Hobbies Stampin’ Plates
		Goblin Hobbies
        Brent Amberger and Casey Alden 
            
   

      RPG Core Product
		Land Eem
		Exalted Funeral
        James Parks and Ben Costa
     Justin Gerard, Sean Kiernan, Anneliese Mak, Sam Mamei, Rosario Mendez, and Rob Gatto
   

      RPG Supplement
		Call of Cthulhu: The Sutra of Pale Leaves - Twin Suns Rising
		Chaosium
        Yukihiro Terada, Jason Sheets, Damon Lang, and Andrew Logan Montgomery 
     
   

      Fan Favorite
		Shard Bugs "First Bounty" 1st Edition
		Shard Bugs
        Luis Silva, Nathan Pelchat, and Greg Sakoff
     Kundu Del Castillo
   

  
  