By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Hasbro’s Women Innovators of Play Design Challenge is returning for a fourth consecutive year, with submissions open from Oct. 15 to Nov. 20.
Hasbro is also expanding the program, known as WIOP, into a series of in-person networking events throughout the year for women in the gaming, toy, licensing, entertainment, and play industries.
The 2026 challenge invites women of all backgrounds and experience levels to submit an original concept for a mass-market toy or game. Entries are judged on innovation, ability to scale, fun factor and playability, design and aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Each winner receives a $10,000 prize, a day of programming at Hasbro’s new Boston headquarters, a mentorship session with one of the company’s women leaders, and a one-year membership to Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment, or WiT. Winners will be announced in early February 2027.
Hasbro says it has awarded mentorship, exposure, and $90,000 in prize money to winners from around the world since 2023. Kim Boyd, president of global licensing and entertainment at Hasbro, says several winners have gone on to win industry awards and build careers in independent game design.
“Play has always been shaped by women — as inventors, designers, storytellers, and players — and Women Innovators of Play exists to celebrate that talent and help more brilliant women find a way into this industry,” Boyd said. “Our Design Challenge is the clearest expression of that commitment. Four years in, it has put real prize money, mentorship, and industry exposure behind women with great ideas and the ambition to bring them to life.”
Boyd says the success of WIOP has led Hasbro to expand the scope of its activities, so there will not be events throughout the year.
“Pairing our Design Challenge with in-person events throughout the year means we’re not opening a door once a year, we’re building lasting pathways into the toy, game, and entertainment industries,” she explained.
Hasbro launched WIOP in fall 2023. The company says the program has connected, educated, and inspired thousands of women worldwide through the design challenge, virtual conferences, and digital content. In 2026, it added in-person gatherings, including panels, screenings, and networking receptions.
The first event, “Women Innovators of Magic,” was held July 22 at Wizards of the Coast’s headquarters in Renton, Washington, in partnership with WiT. Hasbro says it was the largest event in the history of WiT’s Seattle chapter.
Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn, described by the company as a “Magic: The Gathering” superfan, was among the attendees. The event included the premiere of a documentary short and a panel with the creative team behind the “Magic: The Gathering” Secret Lair x Global Fund for Women release. Proceeds benefited the WiT Foundation Scholarship.
A second event, also with WiT, took place Wednesday in London during Brand Licensing Europe. It brought together women from the licensing, entertainment, toy, and game industries.
“Our partnership with Hasbro’s Women Innovators of Play is a natural extension of WiT’s mission to advance women through leadership, networking and education,” said Angelina Castro, executive director of WiT. “Seeing the largest crowd in WiT Seattle’s history come together in July, and reconnecting with our global community in London, shows how much women in this industry value real, in-person connection.
“We’re proud to welcome each Design Challenge winner into the WiT community and look forward to supporting their growth long after the Challenge ends.”
Submissions can be made at spark.hasbro.com/womeninnovators. The Hasbro Women Innovators community on LinkedIn has more than 1,400 members, according to the company.
WIOP also includes the Girl Innovators of Play program, which is anchored in a partnership with Girl Up, a leadership development initiative focused on equity for girls and women.
WiT, founded in 1991, is a nonprofit organization with 25 chapters worldwide. Hasbro, which says it has 165 years of experience, owns brands including “Magic: The Gathering,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” Monopoly, Nerf, Transformers, Play-Doh, and Peppa Pig.
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