The Golden Elephant Award is the annual award handed out to the most outstanding board game of the year, from the heavy-gamer perspective, as voted upon by Heavy Cardboard. 

The criteria used to judge each game is as follows:

• Depth of Analysis & Planning

What considerations must be taken into account to make the right decisions?

• Depth of Gameplay

A game doesn't have to be complex, but it should require solid analysis during play to play well.

• Game Length

A game doesn't have to be long, but it must comprise a multitude of meaningful decision points.

• Low Luck Factor

Winning and losing, ultimately, should be determined by whomever made the better decisions throughout the game.

• Opacity of Decisions & Interaction

To what degree do the critical decisions within the game have an impact upon other players?

• Innovation and uniqueness of the mechanisms and theme

What makes the game stand apart from its contemporaries?

• Enjoyment Factor

Ultimately, do we enjoy the experience that the game provides both to ourselves as well as to the other players?

Reprints are ineligible. The first year that the game is physically available is the year that it will be considered for inclusion for the award. 

Each year, around the beginning of April, the finalists are announced. Then, at HeavyCon, that year's Golden Elephant Award winner is announced. 

Food Chain magnate

Designed by: Jeroen Doumen & Joris Wiersinga

Published by: Splotter Spellen

 Finalists:

1857

Lignum

Mombasa

Pax Pamir

Triumph & Tragedy

The US Civil War

Madeira

Designed by: Nuno Bizarro Sentiero & Paulo Soledade

Published by: What’s Your Game?

Finalists:

Bora Bora

The Capitals

Craftsmen

Cuba Libre

Rolling Stock

Wildcatters