The winners have been announced for the 2024 edition of The Sandbox Awards, recognizing creativity, innovation, and collaboration across the metaverse platform’s community.

For 2024’s Awards, The Sandbox is “kicking it up a notch,” its Game Maker Fund Program Manager PJ told Decrypt. “For a while now, we’ve had the Sandies, which were done by the community through submissions and a 15 people jury to recognize the best experiences of the year—but it was a bit informal.”

The Sandbox Awards “revamps” the awards, while retaining the focus on community voting, PJ said, explaining that, “We went back to the roots of what it was initially—which was votes by community members, for experiences made by the community.”

With 20 categories, it aims to celebrate the breadth of creativity across The Sandbox’s ecosystem, from mainstream awards like Best Action/Adventure Experience, to more niche offerings—like Best Cooking Simulator Experience.

“We have lots of different game types, from platforming to tower defense to resource management to action adventure games,” said PJ. “We also have winners and creators from all over the world—in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, France, Argentina and Lithuania.”

The Best Action/Adventure Experience award went to Chinese studio Lululand’s Serenity, which also scooped Best Art Direction along with the overall Best Experience award. The title places the player in a surreal, ethereal world guided by the mysterious spirit of a “phantom girl lost to time.”

Best Puzzle Experience went to The Great Pyramid of Giza, by Taiwan’s ERM Labs, which tasks players with unearthing the secrets of the enigmatic Egyptian monument—and the deeper mysteries hidden behind its stone walls.

PJ highlighted the work of Thailand-based creator Sandja, who scored wins in the Best Shooter Experience, Best Social & Environmental Impact Experience, Best Resource Management Experience, Best Narrative and Best Game Jam categories.

“He's been one of our very best creators for the last two years,” said PJ. “He started off just doing game jams; two years ago, he was in the Game Maker Fun program, where we financed a couple of games up front. Today, through game jams and through his own personal brand and his ideas, he’s making really good games.”

“Some of the best experiences we've had this year came out of our Game Jam program, and that came out of the builder’s challenge,” said PJ. “These are really great games, and they were voted for by community members.”

What is The Sandbox?

Ethereum-based metaverse game The Sandbox enables users to buy virtual land and customize it with playable games and experiences. With over eight million accounts, 200 partner studios and 1,300 experiences live on the map, The Sandbox has established itself as one of the leading metaverse platforms, showcasing brands and IP partners including Snoop Dogg, Attack on Titan and Terminator.

Looking to the future, PJ revealed that The Sandbox has ambitious plans for the creator community over the coming year, including more Builder Challenges promising more revenue for creators, more Game Jams and prizes, as well as the new 0.11 version of The Sandbox’s Game Maker tool enabling more possibilities for creators and players, and further collaborations with IPs.

The full list of winners is:

• Best Action/ Adventure Experience of 2024: SERENITY
• Best Cooking Simulator Experience of 2024: Boodle Fight
• Best Puzzle Experience of 2024: The Great Pyramid of Giza
• Best Party Game Experience of 2024: Knock Knock
• Best Survival Experience of 2024: Lil Fish
• Best Shooter Experience of 2024: Cosmic Chaos
• Best Social & Environmental Impact Experience of 2024: Floating Haven
• Best Platforming Experience of 2024: BOMKUS AEROLAB
• Best Sport Experience of 2024: 3VEREST | The Edge
• Best Branded experience of 2024: Saving ClayBox: The Sonic Sands Adventure
• Best Backrooms Experience of 2024: Recorder: BackRooms GameJam Champion
• Best Resource Management Experience of 2024: Floating Haven
• Best Horror Experience of 2024: Deja Vu 2
• Best Narrative of 2024: The Little Prince and The Magic Whale
• Best Game Jam of 2024: Cosmic Chaos
• Best Newcomer of 2024: Pocket Camp
• Best Tower Defense Experience of 2024: GEOMETRY UPRISING
• Best Art Direction of 2024: SERENITY
• Best Gameplay of 2024: Trendy Factory
• Best Experience of the Year 2024: SERENITY

Watch the awards replay here.