1/10/26: It’s official. The UK’s largest consumer-voted awards for production innovation, Product of the Year, has announced a brand-new category for its 2027 awards: Toys. It’s the first time the category has featured in the awards’ history and entries are already landing ahead of the deadline at the end of this month.
Since it began, the awards have helped shoppers cut through the noise on supermarket shelves by putting the verdict where it belongs – in the hands of consumers. Each year, over 8,000 consumers vote on new product launches across dozens of categories, with winners earning the right to display the awards’ instantly recognisable red logo on their packaging, on websites, billboards and online – a badge of trust proven to drive purchase decisions at the shelf. How does that translate in numbers? 71% of consumers say the endorsement of the Product of the Year logo makes them more likely to buy the product, and as many as 81% of consumers recognise the logo.
While the new category will consider entries across the full spectrum of play, particular emphasis will be placed on educational toys and tech – reflecting a market where parents are increasingly seeking products that entertain and enrich/educate.
“Innovation in toy design is more than just play; it shapes how the next generation thinks, builds, and solves problems,” says Helga Slater, joint-MD, Product of the Year. “We want to ensure brands in this category are given the recognition they deserve for putting innovation at their core.”
Winners will be crowned in January 2027 at Product of the Year’s glamorous awards ceremony, held at the iconic Quaglino’s in London – last year hosted by Claudia Winkleman – where the industry’s best-loved brands gather to celebrate a year of innovation.
With the entry deadline fast approaching, toy brands are being urged to submit now to be in with a chance of winning the right to carry the red Product of the Year logo: https://www.productoftheyear.
