Expert-level eurogame award Diamant d’Or unveils Civolution, SETI among 2025 finalists
The Diamant d’Or, a prize launched almost a decade ago to celebrate complex eurogames being overlooked by more mainstream board game awards, has unveiled its eight finalists for 2025.
Stefen Feld design Civolution, Czech Games Edition‘s high profile release SETI and Sigmund Freud-themed eurogame Unconscious Mind, from Cyprus-based Fantasia Games, are among titles in the running for this year’s award.
They face competition from Vital Lacerda’s Inventions: Evolution of Ideas, Ezra and Nehemiah from Garphill Games, Germán Millán design Men-Nefer, Stan Kordonskiy’s Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age and David Bernal’s Salton Sea.
The French award focuses on new, expert-level eurogame releases from the previous 12 months which have a high replayability, especially those “whose format does not always allow them to apply for one of the many other current awards”.
Civolution designer Feld won the award two years ago with his citybuilding design Marrakesh, while Lacerda previously came second in 2018 with Lisboa, and third in the inaugural Diamant d’Or in 2015/16 with The Gallerist.
Last year’s top prize was won by Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone’s worker placement game Darwin’s Journey, with Nucleum finishing in second place and Voidfall in third.
The Diamant d’Or jury of board game players whittles down the final eight from about 50 entries each year. The 2025 winner is expected to be announced on January 12 next year.
Earlier this year the Diamant d’Or jury announced the winner of its first super Diamant d’or award, which pitted all of the prize’s previous winners against one another.
Underwater Cities triumphed in that award, with Ark Nova finishing second and Gaia Project third.
Previous winners of the Diamant d’Or
2024 – Darwin’s Journey
2023 – Marrakesh
2022 – Ark Nova
2021 – Beyond the Sun
2020 – Crystal Palace
2019 – Underwater Cities
2018 – Gaia Project
2017 – Great Western Trail
2015/16 – Mombasa
