Lucca, June 25, 2025 — Only five of the most active and prolific board game designers in the world are selected each year as finalists for the Board Game Designer of the Year award, an initiative organized by Lucca Crea, the company behind Lucca Comics & Games, in collaboration with SAZ Italia. This year, eight designers were initially nominated by the jury and the organization, from which five finalists were ultimately chosen.

The winner will be announced and awarded during the official ceremony at the Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini, as part of the festival taking place from October 29 to November 2.

For the 2025 edition, the jury is composed of President Fabio Cambiaghi and members Paolo Cupola (former President of the Game of the Year award), Harald Schrapers (President of Spiel des Jahres), Flaminia Brasini (delegate of SAZ Italia), and Simone Luciani, the inaugural winner of the award.

The five finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

• Matthew Dunstan
• Grégory Grard
• Tomáš Holek
• Ryan Laukat
• Paolo Mori

The Jury and the organizing committee congratulate the finalists and invite all enthusiasts to attend Lucca Comics & Games 2025 to discover the winner of the Board Game Designer of the Year 2025.