Five Years of the Play for Change Awards

This week we celebrated the fifth edition of our industry’s Play for Change Awards at a ceremony in Brussels.

Five years of the Awards feels like a true milestone. When we first conceived the Play for Change Awards at the Toy Industries of Europe, which I chair, we had no idea of the global pandemic that followed. Yet we went ahead and launched the first awards during the 2020 lockdown. It was not easy, but we knew it was essential to honour toymakers and their role as allies for children and parents in such tough times.

Our first ceremony was virtual – a far cry from our hopes for our first celebration – but it showed our industry’s resilience and commitment to making a positive impact.

Now, five years on, I’m delighted to see how the awards have evolved. On Tuesday evening we gathered for another sparkling evening that celebrates the best of our industry. Toymakers were awarded for their groundbreaking toys and initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion, sustainability and life skills. The Awards ceremony is always a joyful occasion, where attendees from the toy sector and the EU policy community have the chance to connect with each other, share ideas, and even try out the winning toys. It’s an event that’s all about recognising innovation, purpose, and the power of play.

The annual Awards evening is the culmination of a year of dedicated work. A diverse jury of individuals, from both outside and inside the toy industry, devote their time to assessing many entries from across Europe. Each member of the jury has children’s best interests at heart and they uphold the awards’ purpose-driven values. We truly appreciate what they do. I also want to call out the hard work of the TIE team in leading the process from beginning to end.

We are an industry with players of all sizes, the majority being SMEs. The Play for Change Awards are important to us all, but it gives me particular joy to see how the awards elevate smaller toymakers and showcase their products to a wider audience.

Thank you to all toymakers who have entered the Awards over the past five years. Whether they win or not, they show that they go the extra mile when developing their products. We will continue to celebrate all those who work to protect the planet, encouraging children’s respect for one another or investing in the skills they need to succeed in the future.

I am proud that we have made these Awards a success. Here’s to another five years – and beyond – of Play for Change!