The best "Deutscher Kinderspielepreis"🇩🇪 award winners and nominees 2026

ICECOOL is an energetic and playful flicking game set in a penguin school, where players assume the roles of rascally penguins trying to snatch fish and the vigilant Hall Monitor trying to maintain order.

It's race day in Quedlinburg, and with the right mix of food and luck, you ride your mount to victory and win the golden cauldron. Players build their own bag of tiles throughout the game, drawing them to advance on the race track. They will collect resources, gain bonuses, and strategize until someone crosses the finish line first.

Players cooperate in a version of the game designed for children who cannot yet read. They take turns trying to have others guess an animal by using symbols on the game board to indicate characteristics of that animal. With 110 animals to guess, divided into two difficulty levels, this beautifully illustrated communication game helps children discover the world of animals in a fun and innovative way.

Let's head to the Forest of Keys to regain the King's memories! Players must find the beautiful memories sealed in the treasure chest, where real and false keys are hidden. Adventures await in this enchanting forest!

Players need the power of memory and a bit of pirate luck to escape Captain Goldfish's island before the lava engulfs them in the game. They reveal locations connected to the last shown spot, but making a wrong connection eliminates them from the round. The last remaining pirate claims a valuable treasure, with each round building on previously gathered information for a chance at victory. Advanced players can utilize special actions triggered by connected locations for an even more exciting experience.

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a delightful and engaging memory game that combines the whimsy of chickens learning to dance with the challenge of strategic movement and memory. Players become chickens vying to out-memorize and outmaneuver their opponents around a circuitous path, aiming to collect the tail feathers of their rivals by accurately recalling the images hidden on octagonal tiles.

The lion's mane is far too long, risking his respect among the other animals. Players help the lion reach the barber before closing time, creating a path from his bed to the salon. They use cards to move the lion along the path, but must be careful as different colored tiles affect the time. If players manage to get Leo to the barber within five days, they win the game.

The premise is simple: a board rests on a platform filled with wooden discs, trees, and other objects. In the center lies a ring of light covered by a cardboard disc and a flickering flame, with the cauldrons circling around it. Players aim to push their cauldron towards the ring of light by pressing pieces on the board, but the twist is that the game is played in complete darkness, making everything except the glowing elements invisible.

Cheating Moth is a mischievously fun card game where cheating isn't just allowed, it's necessary to win! Players aim to get rid of all their cards, but traditional card play is only part of the strategy. You'll also need to cleverly cheat by secretly dropping cards without getting caught. Each round begins with players holding eight cards and trying to play a card onto the discard pile that is exactly one number higher or lower than the top card. But here's the twist: certain cards, like the Cheating Moth cards, can't be discarded normally and must be slyly disposed of through cheating.

Players must act quickly in a cooperative challenge to save a Dodo egg that has fallen from its nest on a mountain peak. Through teamwork, gather materials, collect tools, and build bridges to safely guide the rolling egg to the foot of the mountain. If they successfully direct the egg into the rescue boat, everyone wins together.

The legend says that the old mansion on the edge of town holds a legendary treasure. To find it, you decide to spend the night there. Just when you are about to give up, the ghost of Captain Echo appears to assist you, using a tambourine to guide you on which rooms to search. Players must work together to uncover the captain's treasure before the night ends. Each round, one player becomes the ghost, providing hints with the tambourine to help the others guess the correct sound cards. If successful, they can reveal a piece of the captain's treasure.

Players race to get their three ants across the forest floor as quickly as possible, while spiders lurk in the branches above. With a little help from opponents, an ant could be knocked down and brought back to the starting line. Timing is key, as players can also target their rivals' ants.

Players take on the role of a warrior, magician, dwarf, or ranger to journey through the land and rescue lost wolf cubs. Winning requires teamwork and wise decision-making. Each game presents new challenges to overcome together before the dragon reaches Rietburg.

Players must find the magical ring stolen from the wise king by an evil sorcerer. Racing against the clock, they move their tokens through various rooms on the board to gather clues about who took the precious gemstone. Talking animals assist players by providing hints through a treasure chest, which players must unlock by feeding the animals. Cooperation is essential, as everyone works together to reclaim the stolen ring and either win or lose as a group based on their success in completing assigned tasks.

In the icy frost of the Arctic, Inuit or polar bears engage in their favorite activity: ice fishing. Players punch holes in the "ice" to try to catch fish represented by steel balls of various sizes. The first player to catch ten fish wins, and for children aged six and up, larger fish are worth more points.

There’s a pesky little bug in the kitchen, a HEXBUG® nano® scuttling across the board. Players rotate utensils like knives, forks, and spoons to trap the bug. Roll the dice to see which utensils can be turned, catch the bug, and earn tokens; the first player to collect five tokens wins.

In the valley of Fire Dragon, danger brews beneath the earth. The mighty volcano Rubino is about to erupt after a thousand years. Players assume the role of dragon riders, aiming to collect valuable dragon rubies by navigating around the volcano with tactical skill and a bit of luck. The player with the most rubies in their pouch at the end wins.

Monsters have escaped again, but that's not entirely bad; they bring fun to the villa! Meanwhile, Grandma Frieda is outside, terrified of the monsters. Players must catch them and hide them from her before she sees them.

In Akaba, 2-4 players try to blow their flying carpets across the board and be the first to collect all the gifts. It is a "stormy" skill game suitable for children aged 5 and up.

Excitement fills Shiverstone Castle as the spooky exam takes place. You can help the ghost become the best spook in class by guiding it with the ghost wand through the castle to scare its inhabitants. Alternatively, participate in the Spook Olympics to showcase your skills in events like "Spook Slalom" or "Solo Spooking." This game collection features magnetic components and a variety of dexterity games for 1 to 6 players aged 5 to 99, including many variations and the Spook Olympics.

Players collect and store nuts for winter in a memory game featuring a squirrel. On their turn, players roll a die to move the squirrel's knight in their chosen direction on the board. Landing on a bush allows them to draw a card, potentially gaining a nut or encountering a thief. This game is suitable for young players, with simple rules and a short gameplay duration.

This is a modern version of classic games like Parcheesi or Sorry. Players aim to move their pawns from their starting position to a safe zone around the board. Instead of rolling dice, players shake small containers filled with balls, trying to select the one with the highest number that does not exceed the results of two rolled dice.

A children's game by Klaus Teuber features animals, meals, and memories. Players take on the role of a badger in the forest, where paths lead to various meals. Upon reaching a meal area, the badger rolls the dice according to the number of meals available, turning over stones for points. The first player to reach the point gate wins the game.

Players collect points in the form of food in this charming children's game. Plastic pigs are placed on a track made of circular cards, and players draw cards that match the colors of the pigs. Each turn, a player moves a pig forward, jumping over other pigs, and must ensure their last move of the round also earns additional food to keep their collected points.

Detectives hunt for a thief hiding in the park. The board tilts, causing both detectives and the thief to move to one side until they hit an obstacle. The objective is to position your detective next to the thief to capture him.

Roll dice, move your pawn, and grab treasures. Each player hides their gems in a treasure chest with two compartments, needing to remember where their jewels are when the chest is flipped by opponents. Encounter Pete the Pirate and open the empty side of the chest to your advantage.

A children's game features five witch tokens hidden under colorful witch hats. Players roll the dice to guess which hat conceals the witch of the chosen color. If correct, they continue to roll; if incorrect, their turn ends. Additionally, a swap symbol allows players to exchange two hats without revealing the hidden tokens. The first player to move any witch to the final space, Blockberg, wins the game.

There are sixty vampire tokens, consisting of ten vampires in six different colors. Players distribute these tokens face down and reveal the identities at both ends of their lines. Players take turns flipping a grave cover, aiming to match colors to place vampires in graves. Collecting stakes leads to other players giving up their vampires, while finding garlic can also yield advantages. The game continues until one player has disposed of all their vampires, declaring them the winner.

Players explore the sea to discover animals with their research ship. Beware of the giant octopus, which will try to envelop your ship. The game features an innovative tilting mechanism that activates when a ship is caught by the octopus. The player who discovers the most different animals wins the game.

Victor, the friendly little vampire, has misplaced many of his belongings in his vast castle. Players use mirrors to search for these items without moving around the entire space. By rolling dice and moving Victor, they must guess the objects hidden behind the windows, earning blood tokens for correct guesses, while racing to collect the required number to win.