TWIPYs 2025: Voting Open Now

Kineticist·article·analyzed·Jan 7, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

2025 TWIPY voting opens with 7 game-focused categories, winners February 7.

Summary

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

TWIPY voting runs January 5–20, 2025
high confidence · Official announcement of voting dates
Winners will be revealed February 7 in a special BASH Pinball Podcast episode
high confidence · Stated winner announcement date and format
Awards feature seven categories focused exclusively on games
high confidence · Explicit category list provided
No sponsors; optional Ko-Fi donations with surplus going to Strong National Museum of Play
high confidence · Direct statement on funding model and charity partnership
Awards were 'stripped down' from prior years to focus on game essentials
medium confidence · 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

KineticistorganizationTWIPY AwardseventBASH Pinball PodcastorganizationStrong National Museum of PlayorganizationLyman F. Sheats Awardevent

Signals

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

Topics

Awards voting and competitionprimaryGame design evaluation (art, code, layout, audio, animations)primaryCommunity engagement and recognitionprimaryIndependent media and sponsorship modelsecondaryPinball industry awards and year-end recognitionsecondary

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.

Transcript

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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.