# TWIPYs 2025: Voting Open Now

**Source:** Kineticist  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-01-07  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.kineticist.com/post/twipys-2025-voting-open-now

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## Analysis

Kineticist announces the 2025 TWIPY pinball awards with voting open January 5–20 and winners revealed February 7 on the BASH Pinball Podcast. The awards focus on seven game-centric categories: Game of the Year, Best Theme Integration, Lyman F. Sheats Best Rules and Code, Best Art Package, Best Playfield Layout, Best Audio Package, and Best Animations. The awards remain sponsor-free with optional Ko-Fi donations supporting operations and the Strong National Museum of Play.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] TWIPY voting runs January 5–20, 2025 — _Official announcement of voting dates_
- [HIGH] Winners will be revealed February 7 in a special BASH Pinball Podcast episode — _Stated winner announcement date and format_
- [HIGH] Awards feature seven categories focused exclusively on games — _Explicit category list provided_
- [HIGH] No sponsors; optional Ko-Fi donations with surplus going to Strong National Museum of Play — _Direct statement on funding model and charity partnership_
- [MEDIUM] Awards were 'stripped down' from prior years to focus on game essentials — _Opening statement 'No makeup. No pyrotechnics. Just the essentials' implies format reduction_

### Notable Quotes

> "No makeup. No pyrotechnics. Just the essentials."
> — **Kineticist**
> _Describes the editorial philosophy behind the 2025 awards redesign—stripped-down format emphasizing substance over spectacle_

> "This year's show puts the spotlight squarely on the machines themselves: the art, the code, the layouts, the sound—everything you experience when you press play."
> — **Kineticist**
> _Core value proposition of the 2025 awards: technical and design quality metrics rather than peripheral categories_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kineticist | organization | Pinball media and analytics organization that publishes the Hype Index, hosts This Week in Pinball, conducts community voting including the Twippies, and produces pinball industry news |
| TWIPY Awards | event | Annual pinball industry awards recognizing achievements in game design, art, code, and other categories; 2025 iteration features seven game-focused categories |
| BASH Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball podcast hosting the 2025 TWIPY awards winner announcement on February 7 |
| Strong National Museum of Play | organization | Rochester, NY-based museum designated as charity recipient for TWIPY 2025 surplus donations |
| Lyman F. Sheats Award | event | TWIPY category recognizing best rules and code in pinball games |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Awards voting and competition, Game design evaluation (art, code, layout, audio, animations), Community engagement and recognition
- **Secondary:** Independent media and sponsorship model, Pinball industry awards and year-end recognition

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Enthusiastic, clean announcement focused on substance and community benefit. Tone emphasizes simplification and quality-first approach. Charity partnership adds goodwill framing.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Kineticist executing community voting event with explicit focus on games and technical design quality; independent operation with optional donations to museum charity (confidence: high) — Award categories centered on art, code, layout, audio, animations, theme integration; sponsor-free model with Ko-Fi charity donation
- **[event_signal]** TWIPY 2025 awards with streamlined seven-category format emphasizing game design and technical merit; winners announced on BASH Pinball Podcast (confidence: high) — Official announcement of voting dates (Jan 5–20), categories, and winner revelation date (Feb 7)

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## Transcript

No makeup. No pyrotechnics. Just the essentials.
It’s time! 2025 TWIPY pinball awards voting is officially open. We stripped it down this year to what matters: 7 categories, all focused on the games. Game of the Year. Best Art Package. The Lyman F. Sheats Jr. Award for Best Rules and Code, and more!'
Voting runs January 5–20, with winners revealed February 7 in a special episode of the BASH Pinball Podcast.
This year’s show puts the spotlight squarely on the machines themselves: the art, the code, the layouts, the sound—everything you experience when you press play.
2025 TWPY Awards Categories:
- Game of the Year
- Best Theme Integration
- Lyman F. Sheats Jr. Best Rules and Code
- Best Art Package
- Best Playfield Layout
- Best Audio Package
- Best Animations
We’re keeping things independent, so there are no sponsors. There will be an optional donation link on Ko-Fi to help cover basic costs, like trophies; any extra funds raised will be donated to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: eeac68cd-9ba1-47f6-8928-55d732083b7c*