How Women Innovators of Play Launches Game Design Careers

With this year’s Design Challenge closing November 20, our latest Spark Moment video highlights the program’s impact on aspiring women toy and game designers.

The fourth Women Innovators of Play Design Challenge closes for submissions on Friday November 20, 2026. To mark the final stretch, we’re sharing a new Spark Moment featuring two past winners and a toy industry expert on what the program means for women building careers in play.

In the video, Ellie Dix, owner of The Dark Imp and a 2023 winner, and Natalie Podd, co-founder and director of Confident Games and a 2024 winner, talk about how Hasbro’s Women Innovators of Play program helped advance their careers as game designers.

Emma Worrollo, a brand strategist, play expert, and independent toy designer, shares why programs like this matter for the future of the industry.

Launched in 2023, Women Innovators of Play is Hasbro’s program to attract more women and girls globally to toys, licensing, and gaming. It combines the annual Design Challenge with storytelling and in-person events, including through our partnership with Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment.

“We believe great ideas grow stronger through collaboration, mentorship, and community, and we’re proud to help foster all three,” said Kim Boyd, executive sponsor of Women Innovators of Play and President of Licensing & Entertainment at Hasbro.

How to enter: The Design Challenge is open to original mass-market toy and game ideas. Submissions are judged on innovation, scalability, fun and playability, design and aesthetics, and manufacturability. Winners receive $10,000 USD, a day of learning and networking at Hasbro HQ, and a one-year membership to Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment.

Submit your idea by November 20, 2026: https://spark.hasbro.com/womeninnovators