When it comes to board games, the jury and the community often make different decisions
4.9.2026
Translation: machine translated
"Rebirth" is the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" (Connoisseur-Game of the Year). In the "Deutscher Spiele Preis" (German Games Prize), it only reached sixth place in the community vote. This is no slip-up: the jury and the community remarkably often arrive at different results.
In July, Reiner Knizia accepted the award wearing a kilt. With "Rebirth," he won the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" (Connoisseur-Game of the Year). This makes him the first game designer in history to have won all three major awards during his career: "Spiel des Jahres" (Game of the Year), "Kennerspiel des Jahres," and "Kinderspiel des Jahres" (Children's Game of the Year). A good seven weeks later, this triumph is receiving a surprising footnote.
At the Deutscher Spiele Preis (German Games Prize), "Rebirth" only managed to reach sixth place. The also-nominated "Boss Fighters QR," on the other hand, is in the top 3 – along with "Artengarten" and "Galactic Cruise." The Merz Verlag will announce the exact order on October 21st at the SPIEL Essen press conference.
Of the three Kennerspiel nominees, "Boss Fighters QR" thus performs best with the public. "Moon Colony Bloodbath," the third title, missed the top 10.
The order changes nine times
Is this just a quirk of this year's voting? I compared the results since 2011, the year the jury introduced the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" as a separate category. In nine out of 15 comparable years, the community placed at least one of the two losing titles ahead of the jury winner. Only six times did the jury winner remain the highest-ranked of the three nominated games. In 2024, none of the three nominated games made it into the top 10, making it incomparable.
For the first time in 2013, a losing title ranked ahead of the jury winner. The jury awarded "Die Legenden von Andor." At the "Deutscher Spiele Preis," the game reached fifth place, while the also-nominated "Brügge" came in third.
This happened more frequently afterward. "Orléans" reached second place in 2015. Jury winner "Broom Service," by contrast, missed the top 10. A year later, "T.I.M.E Stories" and "Pandemic Legacy" took third and fourth place. "Isle of Skye," the "Kennerspiel des Jahres," only followed in seventh place.
The difference was particularly clear in 2017. "Terraforming Mars" lost the jury vote to "Exit," but won the "Deutscher Spiele Preis" instead. "Exit," in turn, did not make it into the top 10 there. In 2018, the community again decided differently than the jury: "Heaven & Ale" finished ahead of the jury winner "Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg."
After two years of agreement, the pattern continued. "Die verlorenen Ruinen von Arnak" beat the jury winner "Paleo" in 2021. A year later, "Dune: Imperium" finished ahead of "Living Forest." In 2023, "Planet Unknown" won the audience award. The "Kennerspiel des Jahres" "Challengers!" only took seventh place.
2026 is thus already the ninth year in which at least one losing Kennerspiel candidate ranks ahead of the jury winner. It is long past being a one-time slip-up.
No common winner since 2021
The difference becomes even clearer when I also include the "Spiel des Jahres." Since 2011, the same title has won both one of the two jury awards and the "Deutscher Spiele Preis" only five times: "7 Wonders," "Village," "Azul," "Flügelschlag," and "Die Crew."
"Die Crew" was the last common winner in 2020. Since then, the jury and the community have chosen different games every year. That will also be the case in 2026. Neither the "Spiel des Jahres" "Dito!" nor the Kennerspiel "Rebirth" is among the top three.
Nevertheless, the jury favorites have performed strongly with the public in recent years. From 2021 to 2024, the respective "Spiel des Jahres" reached second place at the "Deutscher Spiele Preis" every time: "MicroMacro: Crime City," "Cascadia," "Dorfromantik," and "Sky Team." "Bomb Busters" came in third in 2025. Only "Dito!" is missing from the top 10 entirely this year.
Two awards answer two questions
The different results do not automatically mean that the community is regularly correcting a wrong decision by the jury. The two awards pursue different goals.
For the "Spiel und Kennerspiel des Jahres," a jury of game critics makes the decision. They evaluate, among other things, the game concept, clarity, materials, and design. At the same time, they aim to provide guidance and recognize games that are particularly suitable for the respective target group. The jury itself emphasizes that there is no single objectively best game.
For the "Deutscher Spiele Preis," on the other hand, people from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland can submit their five personal favorites. The first-named title receives five points, the fifth one point. Family, connoisseur, and expert games compete together in one category.
This fits the common assumption that more experienced board game fans vote in the "Deutscher Spiele Preis" and prefer more demanding titles. However, the published data does not support this assumption. The organizer does not disclose the exact number or composition of the voters. The current announcement only mentions "many thousands of fans."
Complexity does not explain the difference this year either. "Boss Fighters QR" is not obviously more demanding than "Rebirth." The two awards apparently not only set different priorities; they fundamentally answer a different question: The jury is looking for a recommendation for a specific target group. For the "Deutscher Spiele Preis," the voters name their personal favorites.
The winner is missing, the story remains
Which game will win the "Deutscher Spiele Preis" 2026 remains open until October 21st. Every possibility tells the story a little differently:
If "Boss Fighters QR" wins, the community directly reverses the Kennerspiel decision. If "Artengarten" wins, a title from the recommendation list overtakes both nominees. And "Galactic Cruise" could win the audience award even though it was not on any list from the jury.
Regardless of the outcome, one thing is already certain: the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" is worth at most sixth place to the voters this time.
Whose taste do you align with more often: the jury or the community? Write it in the comments.
Header image: Spiel des Jahres e.V. / Frederic Schweizer
I get paid to play with toys all day.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
Show all
These articles might also interest you
7 comments
later