While the TWIPY Awards committee is still hard at work planning this year’s show, we wanted to share some minor changes that have been made since our last announcement.
Updates to Commerical Games Awards & Categories
The Commerical Games Category has been adjusted, with the addition of several artistic and technical achievement awards, Best Art Package, Best Sound Package, Best Playfield Layout, and Best Animations. These will be added to their own category, called “Commercial Games (Artistic & Technical Achievement), alongside the Lyman F. Sheats Jr. award for Best Rules & Code.
Updates to Homebrew & Custom Games Eligibility
For Homebrew and Custom games, the eligibility criteria have been updated to include the requirement for the game to have had public play sessions and for the playfield artwork to be complete or nearly complete. The final language is as follows:
Homebrew & Custom Game Awards
Eligibility: The game must be flipping and in a shareable state between 12/1 and 12/1 of the current awards year, including receiving some form of public play at a show or a barcade. It must also have complete or nearly complete playfield artwork. Games that meet these criteria will be considered “awards complete” and, therefore, eligible for TWIPY nomination. Games that are considered “awards complete” and that are nominated for a TWIPY award in the current awards year will no longer be eligible for future awards, even with significant changes or updates.
Homebrew Game of the Year covers games with an original playfield design. Custom Game of the Year covers games with non-original playfield designs.
Updates to Toppers, Mods & Accessories Category
The “Best Aftermarket Non-Interactive Mod or Accessory” category is now known as “Best Non-Interactive Mod or Accessory,” and the “Best Aftermarket Interactive Mod or Accessory” category is now known as the “Best Interactive Mod or Accessory.”
In addition, the TWIPY Committee would like it to be known that the following nomination process was followed for the Toppers & Mods categories.
This year’s Mod and Topper nominees were selected first through an open public nomination process by the community and makers in early December. Next, a group of 9 panel members – listed below – anonymously voted on each entry (grouped by category) on a scale of 1 through 5 on the criteria of VISUAL APPEAL, FUNCTIONAL EXECUTION, and OVERALL VALUE. The entries receiving the most points within each category are this year’s official nominees. Thank you to our voting panel!
- Gonzo, Gonzo’s Pinball Flipperama (YouTube)
- Joel Engelberth, Triple Drain Pinball Podcast
- Matt Benzik, Homebrew Game Designer
- Johnny Crap, Pinball Artist
- Kyle Smet, Homebrew Game Designer
- Chris Turner, Turner Pinball
- Ron Richards, Scorbit
- Josh Roop, LoserKid Pinball Podcast
- Jason Knapp, Knapp Arcade Pinball & Arcade Blog
Welcome to New TWIPY Awards Sponsors
Huge thank you to a round of new TWIPY Awards sponsors! We could not do this without their support.
- Presenting Sponsor: Stern Pinball
- Presenting Sponsor: Planetary Pinball
- Presenting Sponsor: MAD Pinball
- Category Sponsor: FAST Pinball
- Category Sponsor: The Flipper Room
- Trophy Sponsor: Pinball Collective Australia
- In-Kind Sponsor: Silverball Swag
- In-Kind Sponsor: Blake Dumesnil, Creative Designer Barrels of Fun, Co-Showrunner of the Houston Arcade Expo
We still have room for additional Presenting and Category sponsors. Please contact colin@kineticist.co for more information.
Coming Soon for Live Attendees: Tour of the Barrels of Fun Factory
More details are coming soon, but we are working on confirming a tour of the Barrels of Fun production factory, located near the 2024 TWIPY Awards site at The Wormhole in Houston. We’re currently looking to conduct this tour on Friday, the 21st of February, prior to the happy hour and tournament at Eureka Heights Brewery.
This will be an additional perk for paid ticket holders, so buy your tickets today!