The winner of the 2026 Award will be announced on Wednesday, July 29, at the annual Diana Jones Award ceremony in Indianapolis, the unofficial start of the Gen Con Indy convention.
See the Finalists tab for more about the finalists.
From a long and eclectic collection of nominees, the committee of the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming selected five finalists that it believes best exemplified “excellence” in the field of gaming for its 2026 award. They are:
MISCHIEF TOY STORE
A games store St. Paul, MN
Mischief Toy Store in the Twin Cities made local headlines for joining a lawsuit against the 2025 US tariffs. Then, kust hours after criticizing ICE in a TV interview, they were targeted with a surprise audit but resisted turning over their employee records to DHS. They have been printing ICE OUT posters to distribute as fast as they can and have organized a network of 3D printing hobbyists to distribute thousands of ICE 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 work hard to make space at the gaming table for everyone.
Find out more about Mischief Toy Store.
MOLLY HOUSE
A board game by Jo Kelly with Cole Wehrle & Ricky Royal, from Wehrlegig Games
Molly House features sharp, topical game play in which players take the roles of the gender-defying mollies of early 18th-century London. Players draft hands of vice cards representing the different gestures, desires, and encounters frowned upon by the oppressive Society for the Reformation of Manners. These cards allow players to host festivities with the help of their fellow mollies, but they often have to pay bribes or wind up being forced to become secret informers to undermine their community instead.
Find out more about Molly House.
PRICE JOHNSON
A game company executive with Cephalofair Games
As the COO of Cephalofair Games, Price Johnson led the charge by tabletop games companies against the 2025 US tariffs that disrupted so much of the industry last year. He appeared in several national interviews and consistently and clearly explained how the tariffs posed an existential danger to many companies in the adventure gaming industry. Not long ago, he was promoted to took over as Cephalofair’s CEO.
Find out more about Price Johnson.
ROB WIELAND
A game designer and journalist
Longtime game designer and journalist Rob Wieland served as a relentless advocate and promoter for the entire tabletop gaming community for years. He served as a mentor to countless others, and he brought the industry to wider and greater awareness through his work with Forbes and other publications. In addition, he regularly hosted on-stage sessions of The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen at conventions to raise money for charity. He passed away in 2025 at the age of 47.
TRENCH CRUSADE
A miniatures game by Mike Franchina, James Sherriff, and Tuomas Pirinen, from Factory Fortress
Trench Crusade is a grimdark skirmish miniatures game set in an alternate1914 in which humanity has been fighting the forces of Hell for over 800 years. Design-wise, it represents a triumph of community and creativity built around the initial sketches and lore created by artist Mike Franchina, who later teamed up with sculptor James Sherriff and game designer Tuomas Pirinen to design the game with the support of their legion of well-earned fans.
The 2026 Diana Jones Award ceremony will be held in Indianapolis on Wednesday, July 29, at our annual gathering of tabletop games industry professionals, the unofficial kick-off of Gen Con, the world’s largest tabletop games convention.
Many thanks to the sponsors of this year’s event for their support. Our key ceremony sponsors are:
Our other sponsors are:
- Andrew Chesney
- Anthony Gallela
- Arc Dream
- Chip Theory Games
- Curtis Frye
- DriveThruRPG
- Dungeon Cocktail Experience
- Dungeon Scrawl
- Geoff Engelstein
- Jim Kitchen
- Lazy Wolf Studios
- Onyx Path Publishing
- Renegade Games
- Ross Thompson
- Shervryn Van Hoerl
- The Corner of Story and Game
- THE KRAKEN Gaming Retreat
- The Yellow Hand
- Wannabe Games.
- What Box Consulting Group
- Wide Pacific Horizon
We’d also like to thank our board members: Matt Forbeck, Michelle Nephew, and Camdon Wright, plus Aaron Trammell and Adrianna Burton, who coordinate the Emerging Designer Program with Camdon.