The 2011 Spiel Des Jahres Nominees Are...

Matt Leacock's Forbbiden Island (Gamewright, 2010)

It is the Most Wonderful time of the year for board game designers and publishers. Today, the Spiel Des Jahres (SdJ) jury announced its nominees for the coveted German Game of the Year trophy.

...and the 2011 nominees are:
-Asra
-Qwirkle
-Forbidden Island

But wait, aren't there usually five nominees for the SdJ?

Yes, but this year the SdJ jury decided to split the nominees into three groups. The three already listed are for the regular SdJ trophy. There were three more nominated for "kinderspiel des jahres" (children's game of the year), as well as for "kennerspiel des jahres," which goes to the best complex game of the year.

You can find the full list of nominations at the SdJ website.

A list of 12 other "recommended" games was also announced by the jury. Apparently these are games that didn't make the cut, but might be worth your time and money anyways. Check out those recommended games here.