A Night at the 2024 TWIPYs: Winners List and Recap

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!

So Many TWIPY Activities

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.

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.

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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. 

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.

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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
  
• Neon Ranch – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  
  

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