Top 5 Finalists of Road to Essen 2025 – Outstanding Talents Move Closer to the Grand Title

Hanoi, July 2025 – After more than three months of launch and several intense competition rounds, the Road to Essen 2025 board game design contest has officially revealed its Top 5 finalists. This marks a significant milestone in the journey to select Vietnam’s representative at SPIEL Essen – the world’s largest board game fair.

The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam (AHK Vietnam), as the official representative of Spielwarenmesse eG and its sub-exhibition SPIEL Essen in Vietnam, is proud to support this meaningful initiative by EverJoy, aimed at connecting young Vietnamese talents with the global creative playground.

The Top 5 were carefully selected from 20 finalists after undergoing intensive training and thorough evaluation by the Jury. These designs stood out for their creativity, cultural depth, commercial viability, and international potential.

Top 5 Finalists:

• "July" – Author: Thinh Lehuu
• "Âu Lạc" – Author: 92 Print
• "Kẻ Chợ" – Author: Mâu Team
• "Lập Địa" – Author: Hoàng Quân
• "Nét Quê" – Author: GRAM-Z

The Organizing Committee shared: “The Top 5 are not only outstanding entries but also a reflection of the innovation, curiosity, and creativity of Vietnam’s young board game design community. This is a promising sign for a still-nascent but highly potential creative industry in Vietnam.”

These entries are currently being evaluated by international judge Randy Flynn – designer of the acclaimed game Cascadia, which won Game of the Year at Spiel des Jahres 2022. The final winner will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on July 20, 2025, and the winning design will be showcased at SPIEL Essen 2025 as a proud symbol of Vietnamese creativity.

The competition is organized by EverJoy Publishing, in collaboration with AHK Vietnam, SPIEL Essen, the Graduate Faculty of the University of Industrial Fine Arts, and the Hobby Horizon event. Its inaugural season attracted 155 entries, with 137 valid submissions from creators of all ages across Vietnam and from the Vietnamese diaspora, reflecting the growing appeal of board game design among young creatives.

In parallel with the final jury round, the public can still cast votes for the "Vote Me Choice" category until 11:59 PM on July 15, 2025, via the VoteMe platform: https://voteme.now

Let’s celebrate Vietnamese creativity and help outstanding ideas shine on the international stage!