Spain's Ministry of Youth and Childhood has allegedly awarded a National Toy Award worth €30,000 ($34,800) to a board game its judges have never tested - or even seen. The award was given to GEU's "educational cooperative game" Dragones Atrapados En La Isla ('Dragons Trapped on the Island') on December 30, 2025. Details of the judging process were first reported by Spanish newspaper El País on January 17, 2026.
According to El País, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood confirmed the judging conditions in response to an appeal from Átomo Games, publisher of a runner-up for the prize. There were only seven nominees for the award in total.
The response sent apparently confirms that applicants were not required to send their toys to jury members, and the judgement was based on documents sent by the nominated publishers. According to a Spanish government gazette document shared in October 2025, this document was a "concise explanation" of the item's innovative features, adaptability, and the ways it promotes equality, education, and inclusive values.
These factors make up most of the award's assessment criteria. The judges also made their decision on the sustainability of the product's materials, as well as "the quality of the toy or game".
El País says that the Ministry of Youth and Children have defended the thoroughness and transparency of the process, comparing it to previous national awards like the National Prize for the Promotion of Creativity in Toys. Wargamer has contacted the Ministry of Youth and Children to confirm that El País' reports are accurate, but we have not yet received a reply.
Wargamer has also contacted GEU, publisher of the winning board game, for comment. We will update this story when we receive a reply.
Want to talk more about the best board games? Join the conversation in the Wargamer Discord.