Smart Toy Awards

A collaboration between the World Economic Forum and the Dubai Future Foundation and hosted by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE.

Competition Guidelines

The Smart Toy Awards are governed by these Competition Guidelines, which summarize the requirements and rules of the competition. The Smart Toy Awards may revise these Guidelines during the competition to provide additional information or improve the quality of the competition. Unanticipated issues may also arise that will require modifications to these Guidelines. The Smart Toy Awards reserve the right to revise these Guidelines as necessary or desirable at their sole discretion. All registered applicants will be notified of any revisions promptly. For further details concerning the operating of the competition, please refer to the Competitor Agreement and other documents throughout the challenge.

Competition Overview

We believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents enormous promise for the future of play and a child’s creative learning journey. Toys are meant to be played with by children and can support their growth and development, but as toys become more advanced, they must also be evaluated to determine how well they protect child users. The Smart Toys Award, hosted by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE this year, is excited to be able to recognize and identify toy companies that adhere to these values and principles. Companies are looking to develop ethical and responsible toys that use AI to create an innovative and healthy play experience for children.

The Smart Toy Awards was developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Generation AI project community in 2020. The project community working on the initial Awards was comprised of subject matter experts from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors and academia. Through the first iteration of the program and last year’s competitors, the Smart Toy Awards have not only awarded companies who have developed ethical and responsible AI but also supported the World Economic Forum in developing governance criteria for smart toys that help companies design products that are not only fun but also ethical, responsible, and positive for children’s wellbeing and growth.

If you’re a company that produces smart toys and believe that you have developed a toy that adheres to these principles, we hope you’ll apply before August 31^st, 2022. Applications are considered on a rolling basis, so please consider applying early.

With the Awards, we’re excited to recognize innovative, ethical, and responsible, smart toys. Winners of the Smart Toy Awards will receive an honorary ‘badge’ that can be used on their products. Winners will also have the opportunity to work with the World Economic Forum on future initiatives related to AI and children. Finally, winners will be able to showcase their toys at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Competition Timeline and Registration

Key Dates:

June 15^th: Application submissions open

September 6^th:  Deadline for applications

September 13^th:  Finalists are announced and invited to submit a physical toy for child testing 

September 14- 23^th: Deadline for submitting toy

September 26- 30^th: Testing at schools

October 5^th: Final three finalists chosen per category

November 20^th: Smart Toys awards ceremony

Applications and FAQs

Each submission of an individual toy must fully complete the application submission form found on the Smart Toy Awards’ website. Each toy requires its own application.

Eligibility

Only physical smart toys that are commercially available for sale at the time of application are eligible to apply. The smart toy must use Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning in some way. Apps, video games, and computer games that do not incorporate a physical toy are not eligible. Examples of eligible smart toys include physical toys such as smart dolls, robots, and speakers created specifically for children (a smart speaker designed for adults and children is not eligible to apply). Last year’s winners include Intellino’s Smart Train, Twin Science & Robotics Autonomous Vehicle kit; Leka’s Alpha; Coder Mindz Coding Game for AI Learners; Playshifu’s Plugo; Lego’s VIDIYO; Roybi’s Robot; & LuxAI’s QTrobot. AR- or VR-augmented toys using AI or ML are also eligible, including apps on a smartphone or tablet that use AI-powered AR or VR to augment a physical, non-smart toy. If you have any questions about the eligibility of your toy, please get in touch.

Competition Categories

Each company is limited to submitting a maximum of two toys.

Each toy can only be submitted to any of the categories listed below. We may move the toy into a different category at our discretion if we believe it’s a better and more competitive fit.

The competition categories are the following:

• Educational – toys that make learning fun and engaging
• Creative Play – toys that promote imaginative play
• Learn-to-Code – toys that innovatively teach coding skills
• Robotics – robotic toys that interact with children
• Smart Companion – best play companion for children
• Smart Speaker for Kids – smart speakers explicitly designed for children
• Most Innovative – most innovative take on AI for kids

Criteria for Applications

First-round applications received by the deadline of August 31^st, 2022 will be assessed according to the Putting Children and Youth FIRST Principles, developed by the World Economic Forum.

These principles are based on the Artificial Intelligence for Children Toolkit, which consist of the following criteria:

• FAIR

Principle: Company culture and processes address ethics and bias concerns regarding how AI models are developed by people and the impact of AI models in use.

Assessment Criteria*: How have you ensured fairness for the user and their dignity? Have you employed proactive strategies for responsible governance? Have you obtained consent from parents/ guardians and their children before collecting data? Have you tested and trained with data to understand the model’s behavior and areas of bias?

• INCLUSIVE

Principle: AI models interact equitably with users from different cultures and abilities; product testing includes diverse users.

Assessment Criteria*: How has inclusiveness been thought about during the development process of the toy (e.g., gender, cultural aspects, disability, age)? Does the technology development cycle and testing include feedback from children and youth?

• RESPONSIBLE

Principle: Products reflect the latest science ensuring healthy cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.

Assessment Criteria*: How is the toy age-appropriate, and how does it promote healthy play and child development? How is the behavior of the AI adjusted to a user’s development stage and experience?

• SAFE

Principle: The technology protects and secures user and purchaser data, and the company discloses how it collects and uses data and protects data privacy; users may opt out at any time and have their data removed or erased.

Assessment Criteria*: How does the toy protect children and other users’ data privacy? How does data management comply with governing data laws and policies related to consumers, specifically children (e.g., GDPR, Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act [COPPA], Age Appropriate Design Code)? What standards or criteria has the toy been assessed against for cybersecurity? Can the toy be misused in any way, or how has this been mitigated? Is there a potential for over-use, and is addiction mitigation actively built-in? Have you created a security plan that considers children’s and youth’s rights and cognitive, emotional, and physical safety?

• TRANSPARENT

Principle: The company explains in non-technical terms to buyers and users why AI is used, how it works and how its decisions can be explained. The company also admits AI’s limitations and potential risks and welcomes oversight and audits.

Assessment Criteria*: How does the toy use AI in a transparent manner (both the data and the algorithm)? How do the benefits of its use outweigh potential risks? How is the use of AI communicated to the child user and their parents/guardians? Are guardians allowed to opt-in and select more advanced features and settings after reading the terms of use?

*Please note that not all criteria have to be fulfilled. 

The Smart Toy Awards may follow up with the applicant to request additional information or clarification.

Submissions that meet some or all of the Smart Toy Awards’ requirements captured by the Putting Children and Youth FIRST Principles will be invited to the final round (STAGE 2). Submissions that do not advance to the final round are invited to apply to next year’s competition.

Winners

The Smart Toy Awards will award one winner in each category.

Winners will be announced at the Smart Toy Awards’ in-person show at the Dubai Future Foundation on World Children’s Day, November 20^th, 2022. Beyond the great honor of winning the award, winners will also receive a “website badge” – a small medallion graphic indicating the toy won the 2022 Smart Toy Awards in that specific category. Winners will have additional opportunities to engage with the World Economic Forum on future initiatives related to their toys and AI governance, and the opportunity to display their toy at the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

Thank you for applying. We wish you the best of luck!