Award · November 4, 2026

KidsKlub Wins the 2026 Educational Media Award

Ahoiii's KidsKlub has won the 2026 Educational Media Award in Munich. The jury praised the app's safe, ad-free environment and the wide variety of Fiete apps.

“Can I play one more game?” Parents hear this phrase every day. With KidsKlub, the answer can be “yes” more often. For this achievement, Ahoiii received the 2026 Educational Media Award on November 4, 2026, in Munich. KidsKlub is one of 14 award-winning titles designed for children ages 4 and up.

What does the jury say?

The jury explained its decision as follows:

> KidsKlub brings together carefully selected children's apps in a safe and age-appropriate environment. All apps are continuously updated and contain no ads or inappropriate content. This allows children to play, explore, and learn independently, while parents can trust that the content is appropriate, the interface is intuitive, and the apps promote responsible use of digital media.

She praises the variety of the Fiete apps in the KidsKlub: “From building cities to playing hide-and-seek, there’s something for everyone. Kids can get creative on their own and try out all kinds of different things.”

Dredgers Instead of Loot Boxes

Kids don't want lessons on a tablet. They want to drive excavators, build a city, and play soccer. The things kids think are cool are often full of ads and "buy" buttons. The things parents like end up in the corner after ten minutes. And there are more kids' games in the App Store than you could possibly check out in one evening.

KidsKlub takes the work out of choosing for parents. It bundles Ahoiii’s games into one subscription: from the construction site in Sandburg City to the dinosaurs in DinoDino to the soccer field in Fiete Soccer. There are no ads, no loot boxes, and no in-app purchases. Most importantly, there’s a parental control feature that restricts access to the internet and the app store.

Child Protection as a Business Model

Many platforms make money by keeping children engaged for as long as possible. KidsKlub, on the other hand, makes money by keeping parents subscribed. Child protection here isn't just a filter you turn on after the fact—it's the business model.

“We’re parents ourselves and say ‘no’ often enough: to free apps full of ads, to in-app purchases, to TikTok,” says Wolfgang Schmitz, one of the founders of Ahoiii. “Our goal was to give parents something they can say ‘yes’ to—and that kids actually want to play.”

Who awards the prize?

SIN – Studio im Netz, based in Munich, has been presenting the Educational Media Award since 1998. At that time, it was still called “Pädi – The Educational Interactive Award.” The award recognizes apps, games, and websites that are deemed “educationally valuable” through a selection process. Entries are evaluated by children, teenagers, parents, educators, and experts.

This isn't Ahoiii first Educational Media Award: in 2017, it went to Fiete Cars. Since 2014, the Cologne-based studio has been developing ad-free children's games, and their apps have been downloaded over 22 million times. Fiete apps have also won the German Computer Games Award and the TOMMI Award. Sandburg City is currently nominated for the TOMMI 2026.

Try it for yourself

Families are best off finding out for themselves whether the jury is right. You can try out KidsKlub—including all its apps—for free before subscribing.