As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The ballots have all been counted, and the finalists have just been revealed for the 2026 Diana Jones Award—one of the tabletop gaming industry’s most prestigious and unique accolades. The winner will be officially announced at this year’s Gen Con on July 29th, with the nominees consisting of an eclectic mix of industry professionals, games and retailers.
Below, we take a closer look at who made the cut when it comes to one of TTRPG’s most unusual awards
What is the Diana Jones Award?
The Diana Jones Award is an annual prize designed to honor the singular “best” element in tabletop gaming in any given year. Unlike other category-specific awards, such as the ENNIEs and Origins Awards, the mostly anonymous committee of industry professionals looks at the broader hobby as a whole. This means a business, an individual, a single product or even an entire gaming system can all be entered onto the ballot.
The award was first created in 2001, with the inaugural Diana Jones handed out to Peter Adkison, the former CEO of Wizards of the Coast. The trophy itself is also one of the most unusual in the TTRPG industry. It was originally created as a keepsake by the staff from the TSR UK office in the 1980s and consisted of a burnt page from the Indiana Jones Roleplaying Game encased in a transparent plastic pyramid. The only legible text left on the scorched paper read “diana Jones,” giving the award its iconic name. Unfortunately, the original trophy was lost in transit back in 2021, but new versions have since been created.
Last year’s joint winners were the board game Daybreak and longtime designer and writer Rose Estes, with previous winners including the United Paizo Workers, the Coyote & Crow RPG and activist Ajit George.
Who are the nominees for the 2026 Diana Jones Award?
The five finalists selected for this year are as follows:
- Rob Wieland: The late game designer and tabletop journalist, who passed away in October 2025.
- Mischief Toy Store: A local hobby and games store operating out of St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Molly House: A board game designed by Jo Kelly, Cole Wehrle and Ricky Royal published by Wehrlegig Games.
- Price Johnson: The current CEO of Cephalofair Games, publisher of the popular Gloomhaven board game.
- Trench Crusade: The popular grimdark alternate WWI miniatures game published by Factory Fortress.
Notably, Mischief Toy Store gained national media attention within the US for its outspoken pushback against ICE immigration crackdowns in Minneapolis (including distributing free whistles so protestors could alert citizens of ICE raids). Similarly, Price Johnson has been an outspoken critic of the current US administration’s 2025 global tariffs, which have severely impacted the tabletop gaming industry.
Final thoughts
The Diana Jones Award remains one of tabletop gaming’s most unique awards, so it’s great to see it still going strong 25 years after it was first created. This year’s nominees are also some of the most unusual we’ve seen in some time, so it’ll be interesting to see who takes the top honor.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead and will update this page when the winner is announced at Gen Con on July 29th. In the meantime, you can learn more on the official Diana Jones Awards website.