Ever since 2017, The Pinball Community Awards (better known as the TWIPYs) has been dishing out trophies and recognizing the best of the best in the pinball world with a dazzling awards show. Determined by public voting from all members of the community, the TWIPYs celebrate everything from the newest commercial games to the homebrew scene and beyond. With the pinball community seeing a surge of interest over the last few years, it's no surprise that the 2024 TWIPYs garnered more votes than ever before, leading to an excitable night of big wins and celebration. As we close the book on a truly fantastic year of pinball, let's take a look back at the 2024 TWIPYs and give our winners their due time in the spotlight!
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So Many TWIPY Activities
David Van Es (Barrels of Fun) on the Factory Tour
The 2024 TWIPYs were held at Wormhole Pinball in Houston, Texas, rooted on by a live audience and streamed live on YouTube. In addition to the awards show experience, visitors also got a number of additional experiences like a tour of the Wormhole Vault, packed full of rare games, as well as a factory tour of Barrels of Fun, all before the big night. Thanks to sponsors like Stern Pinball, Planetary Pinball Supply Inc., Mad Pinball, and many more, it was a multifaceted weekend of fun, thoughtfully organized and made memorable by the TWIPY Team.
Michelin starred BBQ from CorkScrew
Playing rare games at The Wormhole Vault
Flippin, Fajitas, and Fun at Russell’s House
Members of the TWIPY Committee
Excitement was undeniably high as the 2024 TWIPYs kicked off on Saturday night, hosted by Jamie Burchell, Erin Winick Anthony, and Ralph Ronzio, with some special correspondence from Nudge Magazine's Ian Jacoby. Members of the virtual audience sounded off from around the world, with viewers coming in from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and more. Despite some brief technical issues up front, the show was soon underway, with winners announced at a brisk pace, keeping the energy high.
JAWS by Stern Pinball (designed by Keith Elwin) was the biggest winner of the night, pulling in 6 awards and dominating the commercial games categories, including Best Theme, Best Layout, Best Rules, and even Game of the Year. A pleasant surprise came with the Best Art Package Award, which went to Avatar: The Battle for Pandora. The game's beautiful and evocative art came from the hard work of Lea Faske, with Avatar being her debut in the industry. After winning a TWIPY on her very first project, we're more than excited to see what the future holds for Lea's career. On the homebrew/custom side, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (designed by Nick Neitzel) nabbed Homebrew Game of the Year, while Happy Gilmore (designed by Brian Soares and Reby Hardy) picked up Custom Game of the Year.
Lea Faske wins Best Art for Avatar: Battle for Pandora
Pinball mods and accessories also received acclaim, with the Godzilla Atomic Godzilla 2 King of the Topper by Jazzbouche winning the Best Interactive Mod category, and the beloved Pinsnake by PFX PinMods taking home the award for Best Non-Interactive Mod or Accessory. As appropriate for a community-driven show, multiple members of the pinball scene were also nominated across multiple categories, and Cary Hardy won big with two major awards: Best Video Creator/Streamer and Content Creator of the Year. Arguably the biggest surprise of the night came from the Best Podcast category, which came down to the absolute wire. Winning by an incredibly narrow margin, the Electric Bat Podcast earned the award with 10.86% of the total vote points, beating out Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, trailing ever so closely at 10.42%. To wrap things up, Rob Berk, owner of Past Times Arcade and co-founder of the Pinball Expo, received the honor of Pinball Community Member of the Year, capping off a wonderful show.
Overall, the 2024 TWIPYs was an admirable return to form, fueled by a true passion for pinball and hype from the live audience. Never taking themselves too seriously, the hosts did an excellent job dishing out awards, while lighthearted skits and one-off bits added a hearty dose of humor. One of my favorite moments of the night came from the Best Location awards, presented by Eric Stone in a cheeky, retro weather report. Congratulations go to all of the winners and nominees, along with endless thanks to the show organizers and sponsors. I'm excited to see what the 2025 TWIPYs hold when the show returns to the Wormhole next year, following what's sure to be another record-breaking year for the pinball scene.
2024 TWIPYs Full Winners List
Here's a full list of winners for all 35 categories presented at the 2024 TWIPYs. This list includes the top 3 nominees in each category, though many more were acknowledged in the voting process. For the entire list of nominees, along with their total votes and points percentages, you can check out the official 2024 TWIPYs results page.
Community Awards:
Content Creator of the Year
Cary Hardy (WINNER)
pirateprincessjess
Flip N Out Pinball Stream
Breakout Creator of the Year
The Flipside Podcast w/ RetroRalph (WINNER)
Dude Where's My Code
Phantom Tilt Pinball Podcast
Best Podcast
Electric Bat Podcast (WINNER)
Kaneda's Pinball Podcast
LoserKid Pinball Podcast
Best Video Creator/Streamer
Cary Hardy (WINNER)
Flip N Out Pinball Stream
Fox Cities Pinball
Best Publication
Knapp Arcade (WINNER)
Nudge Magazine
Kineticist
Best Online Community Group
Pinside (WINNER)
Pinball Enthusiasts Facebook Group
Tilt Forums
Pinball Community Member of the Year
Rob Berk (WINNER)
Josh Sharpe
Michael Grant
Commercial Game Awards:
Game of the Year
JAWS (WINNER)
Pulp Fiction
The Uncanny X-Men
Innovation of the Year
The Uncanny X-Men Danger Room (WINNER)
JAWS Fliplock
JAWS: The Revenge Challenge Mode
Best Theme Integration
JAWS (WINNER)
Pulp Fiction
Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
Best Game Launch & Reveal
JAWS (WINNER)
Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
Metallica Remastered
Most Improved Game
Elton John (WINNER)
Foo Fighters
Labyrinth
Lyman F. Sheats Award – Best Rules
JAWS (WINNER)
Metallica Remastered
Pulp Fiction
Best Art Package
Avatar: The Battle for Pandora (WINNER)
Godzilla: 70th Anniversary
The Uncanny X-Men
Best Playfield Layout
JAWS (WINNER)
The Uncanny X-Men
Pulp Fiction
Best Sound
Metallica Remastered (WINNER)
JAWS
Pulp Fiction
Best Animations
JAWS (WINNER)
Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
Metallica Remastered
Best OEM Topper
Pulp Fiction Topper by Chicago Gaming Company (WINNER)
Foo Fighters Topper by Stern
Avatar Interactive Topper by Jersey Jack Pinball
Homebrew, Custom Games, and Mod Awards:
Homebrew Game of the Year
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater by Nick Neitzel (WINNER)
Friday the 13th by Kyle Smet
Beavis and Butthead by Ernie Silverberg
Custom Game of the Year
Happy Gilmore by Brian Soares and Reby Hardy (WINNER)
SAW by Austin Carrigan, Eric Klotz, Glenn Waechter, and Joe Farnsworth
Greatest Showman by Jeffrey and Lisa Sue Jones
Best Interactive Mod
Godzilla Atomic Godzilla 2 King of the Topper by Jazzbouche (WINNER)
Subway Building Mod for Godzilla by Stumblor
The Big Lebowski “Hollywood Star Lanes” mod by Stumblor
Best Non-Interactive Mod or Accessory
PinSnake by PFX PinMods (WINNER)
Chum Line Airball Suppressor by Rocket City Pinball
JAWS “The Shark Eats the Glasses” Mod by Brad Albright
Best Aftermarket Topper
Attack From Mars Topper by The Electric Playground (WINNER)
Godzilla Conqueror Edition Topper by The Electric Playground
The Big Lebowski Topper by Electric Playground
Best Pinball App or Service
Stern Insider Connected (WINNER)
Pinball Map
Match Play
Tournament, Convention, and Location Awards:
Best Convention/Show
Pinball Expo (WINNER)
Texas Pinball Festival
Pintastic New England
Best Tournament
INDISC (WINNER)
24 Hour Final Battle at The Sanctum
Dutch Pinball Open
Best Location – US Northeast
Jackbar – Brooklyn, New York (WINNER)
Funspot – Laconia, New Hampshire
Arcadia National Bar – Portland, Maine
Best Location – US Midwest
Logan Arcade – Chicago, Illinois (WINNER)
Past Times Arcade – Girard, Ohio
District 82 – De Pere, Wisconsin
Best Location – US Southeast
Asheville Pinball Museum – Asheville, North Carolina (WINNER)
Captain Crazy's Paradise – Foley, Alabama
Flip Side Pinball Bar – Memphis, Tennessee
Best Location – US Southwest
Electric Bat Arcade – Tempe, Arizona (WINNER)
Wormhole – Houston, Texas
Cactus Jack's – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Best Location – US West
Next Level Pinball Museum – Hillsboro, Oregon (WINNER)
Ground Kontrol – Portland, Oregon
Free Gold Watch – San Francisco, California
Best Location – Europe
Dutch Pinball Museum – Rotterdam, Netherlands (WINNER)
Budapest Pinball Museum/Flippermúzeum – Budapest, Hungary
Bulls & Balls Fulda – Fulda, Germany
Best Location – Australasia
Netherworld Arcade – Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia (WINNER)
Australian Pinball Museum – Nhill, Victoria, Australia
Ye Olde Pinball Shoppe – Wellington, New Zealand
Best Location – Canada
Neon Ranch – Victoria, British Columbia (WINNER)
Cabin Fever – Toronto, Ontario
Antisocial Pinball – Toronto, Ontario
Best New Location
Pinball Planet – Parma Heights, Ohio, United States (WINNER)
The Kickback – Middleton, Wisconsin, United States
Matt Owen is a lifelong gamer and overall media fiend. He can often be found playing endless hours of games or watching an absurd amount of movies and television: action, horror, mystery, and sci-fi in particular. When he's not bingeing entertainment media, Matt enjoys reading and writing fiction, playing pinball, broadcasting, and attempting to cook.
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