2024 TWIPY Eligibility Guidelines

Revised 12.28.2024

General Eligibility Notes

Please remember as you read the following rules and guidelines that the Pinball Community Awards (aka The TWIPYs) are mostly meant to be goofy fun. Don’t take any of it too seriously! 

Nominee lists are created by the Pinball Community Awards planning committee. The committee reserves the right to add or remove nominees as needed. While our goal is to be inclusive and representative of the pinball community as a whole, not everyone who meets eligibility requirements will receive a nomination in a given year. All rules are subject to change.

Other Rules

• Any nominee that solicits votes through direct payment or through any form of giveaways may be removed as a nominee.
• Any nominee who engages in harassment, bullying, threatening behavior, or other forms of misconduct toward committee members, other nominees, or members of the pinball community may be removed as a nominee. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Direct or indirect harassment through social media, email, phone, or in-person interactions
  • Making false or malicious statements intended to harm others’ reputations
  • Encouraging others to engage in harassment or bullying behavior
  • Creating a hostile environment at pinball events or online spaces
  • Retaliatory actions against committee decisions or other nominees
    • The committee reserves sole discretion in determining what constitutes violation of this policy and may remove nominees at any time if their behavior is deemed detrimental to the awards process or pinball community. Removal decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Award Specific Rules

Content Creator Awards 

Eligibility: Must have created and produced at least 5 pieces of original content from 12/1-12/1 of the current year. Creators who operate within multiple mediums (i.e. a podcast and a video stream) will be assigned a primary category for the purposes of selecting medium-specific nominees. The Content Creator of the Year award is comprised of nominees from all the other Content Creator Award categories. 

Commercial Game Awards 

Eligibility: Current year games are eligible for awards if they are shipping or have shipped between 12/1-12/1 of the current awards year. Most Improved Game nominees will be pulled from the prior award year’s list of Game of the Year nominees.

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 bar arcade. 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.

Location Pinball Awards

Eligibility: Must have at least 4 pinball machines on location and open for business for the majority of the awards year. Must have an actively updated listing on Pinball Map.

Toppers, Mods & Accessories Awards

Eligibility: Current-year toppers, mods, and accessories are eligible for awards if they first shipped between 12/1-12/1 of the current awards year. Third-party nominees cannot violate intellectual property. 

Additional Awards

Eligibility: Nominees must have been active in their category within 12/1-12/1 of the current awards year. 

Questions? Concerns? Comments? Email us at twipyawards@kineticist.co.