Today, the TCG Awards team is proud to unveil the twelve members of the prestigious and international jury that will judge the entered business cases this year. Composed of veteran game executives, esports directors, tournament organizers, retail pioneers, content creators, and media authorities, the newly formed jury will evaluate submissions and determine the winners for the inaugural TCG Awards, set to take place at SPIEL Essen 2026.

As the first institutional, global award program dedicated exclusively to the Trading Card Game ecosystem, the TCG Awards bridge fan passion with professional excellence across 13 distinct categories. While the Community Awards are decided directly by global player votes, the Business Awards and specialized categories rely on the newly appointed expert jury to ensure rigorous, objective, and fair evaluation across diverse TCG mechanics and market structures.

Business Awards – Evaluated by Expert Gremium

These categories recognize the strategic and professional achievements that drive the industry forward, focussing on industry and business as well as performance excellence.

• Brand Partnership of the Year: Celebrating impactful collaborations between brands.
• Campaign of the Year: Recognizing strategy and storytelling in marketing.
• Service Provider of the Year: Honoring the platforms, apps, and services, like distributors and agencies, advancing our infrastructure.

The Role of the Jury

The TCG Awards jury is tasked with evaluating the complex business cases, strategic industry contributions, and operational excellence across the three dedicated business categories. By analyzing metrics such as market innovation, execution quality, community integration, and structural impact, the panel ensures that both established industry giants and emerging indie titles receive unbiased evaluation on a unified international stage.

Meet the TCG Awards 2026 Jury Panel

• Arabelle Chuang – Founder and Chief of Staff at Gatherers' Tavern
• Mike Sheetal – Founder of games agency PLAYBRAIN with more the 25 years of experience
• Brian Trunk – Independent gaming advisor and former senior commercial leader at Wizards of the Coast
• Amy Wosley – TCG content creator, caster, and analyst with extensive expertise across the complete TCG environment
• Chris Smith – Director of Digital Products, Gaming & Tech at Outlandish (the largest US TikTok Shop agency)
• Ana Milena Machado – COO of Pro-Play Games and President of PPG Event Management
• Hans Christian Lueneborg – Director of Production Services & Operations EMEA at Riot Games
• Hyesung Yang – Head of Global Business for CookieRun TCG at Devsisters
• Kat Jones – Founder of award-winning agency Motiv and former VP of Communications at DEFY Media
• Matthias Holm – TCG journalist and editor at IGN Germany
• Robert Giehl – CEO of Cardmarket, Europe’s leading peer-to-peer TCG marketplace
• Sven Siemen –Agenturpartner von asap - Brand Services und Content-Creator

For full jury biographies, category submission guidelines, and event updates, visit www.tcg-awards.com.

About the TCG Awards

The TCG Awards are a new institutional benchmark for excellence across the entire Trading Card Game ecosystem. From groundbreaking games and sets to unforgettable events, outstanding local game stores, creators, players, artists, service providers, and industry partnerships the awards cover the complete TCG landscape. The TCG Awards honor excellence across 13 categories, divided into community and business awards. This year’s awards are presented by ebay live.

About SPIEL Essen

SPIEL Essen is the world's largest public fair for board games and bring together over 200.000 passionate game fans from around the globe with national and international exhibitors in Germany in the heart of the Ruhr area. At the show they can discover thousands of new games from all over the world, enjoy the company of other gamers and above all play as much as they want. Because playing is in the heart of SPIEL.

About Card Sports League GmbH

CSL is a Europe-based premium broadcast and production company focused on elevating physical gaming and trading card game (TCG) events into mainstream entertainment. Founded in 2018, CSL specializes in live streaming, cinematic broadcast design, audience engagement, and end-to-end event production, delivering immersive experiences both online and onsite.

With deep roots in competitive gaming communities, the company partners with leading brands and IPs across Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana, and major live events, producing thousands of hours of high-quality content while emphasizing fair competition, community connection, and flawless technical execution. 

About Hana Sports & Entertainment GmbH

Hana Sports & Entertainment GmbH operates at the intersection of digital entertainment, sport, and pop culture. As a strategic partner, the company supports founders and organizations in growth strategy and positioning within culture-driven industries, while developing long-term platform and infrastructure projects at the intersection of collecting and playing.