Editing Spiel des Jahres (section)

==Award criteria==
The award is given by a jury of German-speaking [[board game]] critics from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland,<ref name="werneck1" /> who review games released in Germany in the preceding twelve months. The games considered for the award are [[German-style board games|family-style]] games. [[Wargaming|War games]], [[role-playing games]], collectible [[card games]], and other complicated, highly competitive, or hobbyist games are outside the scope of the award.  Since 1989, there has been a separate award for [[children's games]].  The jury is not subject to public scrutiny and members of the public are not offered the opportunity to influence the voting.

On occasion, the jury has awarded a special prize for more complex games, such as [[Agricola (board game)|Agricola]] in 2008 or [[World Without End (board game)|World Without End]] in 2010.  Prior to 2011, this award was an exceptional award which was not necessarily awarded annually. In 2011, however, this practice was formalized when the jury created a new category for more complex games called ''Kennerspiel des Jahres''. Along with the nominations, the jury also gives a list of recommended games, and occasionally gives out special prizes for games which will not be considered for the main award. The criteria on which a game is evaluated are:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiel-des-jahres.com/cms/front_content.php?idcat=123&changelang=4|title=Spiel des Jahres e.V. -|website=Spiel des Jahres (www.spiel-des-jahres.com)|access-date=14 April 2018|archive-date=24 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324045949/http://www.spiel-des-jahres.com/cms/front_content.php?idcat=123&changelang=4|url-status=live}}</ref>
# game concept (originality, playability, game value)
# rule structure (composition, clearness, comprehensibility)
# layout (box, board, rules),
# design (functionality, workmanship)

The jury does not release its scoring system or provide insight into how the categories are weighted.