Award · October 1, 2026

Kids Decide: Sandburg City Nominated for the TOMMI 2026

Sandburg City has been nominated for the 2026 TOMMI Children's Software Award in the category "Best Family Game: Preschool." Children at about 40 libraries will decide whether the game wins.

Sandburg City: a red truck full of bricks at a construction site

At the TOMMI Awards, it’s not adults who judge children’s games—it’s the children themselves. The nominees for the 2026 TOMMI Awards have been announced, and Sandburg City by Ahoiii” is among them—in the “Best Family Game: Preschool” category. On the list of nominees, the game is listed under the name “Sandbox City.”

Five games, one category

Five games have been nominated in the “Best Family Game: KITA” category:

Palinoo
Sandburg City
Xenegugeli – ABC German
Fun Learning and Play with Maja and Willi
Catch Hubi

How the TOMMI Award Is Presented

The TOMMI Award will be presented for the 25th time in 2026. First, a panel of experts reviewed around 70 submissions and selected the nominees in eight categories. Now it’s the children’s and youth jury’s turn: Through mid-November, children will test and evaluate the games at around 40 public libraries in Germany, Austria, and—for the first time—in South Tyrol.

The award is presented by FEIBEL.DE, the Office for Children's Media in Berlin. Partners include Dein SPIEGEL, the German Library Association, KiKA, the Kita Online Congress, klicksafe, and ZDF.

When will the winners be announced?

Starting November 30, 2026, KiKA will announce a winner every day on kika.de and in the KiKA app. The awards ceremony will be featured on the KiKA media show “Team Timster.” KiKA will air the full-length episode on Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 8 p.m.

Why Sandburg City?

In Sandburg City, kids operate excavators, cranes, and trucks to build their own city. Using a game code, they invite friends to their city and continue building together—all without chatting. There’s no set path and no time pressure. Read more in the article “Sandburg City Is Here.”

Fiete apps from Ahoiii have won the TOMMI award before. It’s now up to the kids to decide whether Sandburg City will join the list. Until then, families can try out the game for themselves.