As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Article Summary
- The winner of the prestigious 2026 Diana Jones award is Mischief Toy Store out of St. Paul, Minnesota
- The local game store made national headlines in the US for helping push back against ICE immigration raids in Minneapolis.
- The Diana Jones Award has been around for 25 years, celebrating the “best” elements in TTRPG for that given year.
- Other nominees include the Trench Crusade wargame, late TTRPG journalist Rob Wieland and Cephalofair Games’ CEO Price Johnson
The winner has officially been revealed for the 2026 Diana Jones Award; one of the tabletop gaming industry’s most prestigious and unique accolades. This year’s award goes to Mischief Toy Store, a local hobby and games store operating out of St. Paul, Minnesota. The store gained national media attention in the US for its outspoken pushback against ICE immigration crackdowns in Minneapolis – including 3D printing and distributing free whistles so protestors could alert citizens of ICE raids.
The award was handed out at this year’s Gen Con, with the nominees consisting of an eclectic mix of industry professionals and products. Below, we take a closer look at the history of the award and the other 2026 nominees for 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.
Why was Michief Toy Store selected for the 2026 Diana Jones Award?
On the Diana Jones Award website, they note:
“Mischief Toy Store made headlines in 2020 for requiring masking and then distributing free Black Lives Matter lawn signs during the George Floyd riots in the Twin Cities. They got nationwide attention again in 2025 for joining a lawsuit against US tariffs. Then, just hours after criticizing ICE in that national TV interview, they were targeted with a surprise audit but resisted turning over their employee records to DHS. They started printing ICE OUT posters to distribute as fast as they could, and organized a network of 3D printing hobbyists to distribute thousands of ICE alert whistles. Amid the chaos in Minnesota, they had to suspend online ordering, and their website directed folks to support local immigrant rights organizations instead. They’ve worked exceptionally hard to make space at the gaming table for everyone, in the midst of upheaval.”
Who else was nominated for the 2026 Diana Jones Award?
While Mischief Toy Store took home the top prize, the other nominees include:
- Rob Wieland: The late game designer and tabletop journalist, who passed away in October 2025.
- 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, like Mischief Toy Store, Price Johnson has also 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. Congratulations to Mischief Toy Store on their win!
You can learn more about the history of the award and the nominees on the official Diana Jones Awards website.