Which awards or honors commonly feature repeat nominees and why?
Executive summary
Awards with juried or industry-voted processes—like The Game Awards and many critics’ prizes—regularly show repeat nominees because a small, expert voting pool and a slate of high-profile publishers concentrate nominations; for example, The Game Awards 2025’s jury of more than 150 media outlets produced heavy concentration (Sony led with 19 nominations; Kepler Interactive 13) and multiple cross-category nods for single titles such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with 12 nominations [1] [2]. Fan-voted or mixed-vote prizes can also produce repeats when popular franchises sustain visibility and receive both jury and public support (Game Awards uses 90% jury / 10% fan vote) [1] [2].
1. Why juried prizes generate repeat nominees: small, expert electorates concentrate attention
Juries made up of industry media and critics tend to reward the same visible projects across many categories because they evaluate the same set of standout releases; The Game Awards’ 2025 nominees were chosen by a global jury of more than 150 media publications and creator outlets, and that process produced multiple nominations for a handful of games—Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alone secured 12 nominations—demonstrating how expert consensus concentrates recognition [1] [3].
2. Publisher scale and campaign clout drive recurring nominations
Large publishers and well-resourced PR campaigns press repeatedly into voters’ view, increasing the odds of repeat noms. Reporting on The Game Awards 2025 shows Sony Interactive Entertainment leading with 19 nominations, followed by Kepler Interactive with 13 and EA and Microsoft with 10 each, a pattern consistent with big publishers occupying many slots across categories [1]. That institutional weight explains why certain companies’ titles recur on nomination lists.
3. Cross-category eligibility multiplies repeat appearances for single titles
A single technically ambitious or narratively rich game can qualify across narrative, design, audio, and performance categories—producing repeat nominations for that same title. Coverage of the 2025 slate highlights several games appearing in multiple categories; outlets note Clair Obscur, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong and others as “repeat contenders” across the Game Awards lineup [2] [4].
4. Mixed voting models and fan power sustain franchise visibility
When awards blend jury and fan voting, popular franchises or creators with large audiences can accumulate repeat nominations year to year. The Game Awards’ blended voting—90% jury, 10% fan—means fan enthusiasm can nudge outcomes and helps explain why high-profile sequels and community-backed projects remain visible in consecutive seasons [1] [2]. Source reporting emphasizes both jury selection and public voting windows for finalists [5] [6].
5. Repeat nominees can reflect both merit and visibility — critics vs. public tension
Some outlets and commentators treat repeated nominations as justified recognition of excellence, while others see “roster” effects where familiarity trumps diversity. Coverage of Game Awards 2025 shows journalists noting heavy concentration of nominations on a few titles and pundits predicting sweeps [4] [7]. Independent commentary flagged surprise or criticism in specific categories (e.g., fighting game choices) as evidence that repeat selection sometimes produces eyebrow-raising decisions [8].
6. How timing, release windows and eligibility rules create repeats across seasons
Awards with overlapping eligibility rules or late release cutoffs can push sequels or long-support titles into multiple cycles or make late-year releases compete only in the following season; Gaming outlets described eligibility debates and schedule effects at The Game Awards and other outlets, with some titles landing in expected slots while others benefited from timing adjustments [9] [6]. Not all sources detail the exact mechanics for each prize; available sources do not mention precise nomination-window rules beyond general reporting.
7. What the pattern means for creators, voters and audiences
For creators, repeat nominations concentrate prestige and marketing value on a few projects and publishers [1]. For voters and juries, reliance on familiar names can both reflect genuine craft and entrench tastes. For audiences, repeated shortlists can signal quality but also fuel complaints about “the same names” dominating coverage—critics and fans showed both enthusiasm and skepticism in reporting around the 2025 awards [4] [8].
Limitations: this analysis relies on reporting around The Game Awards 2025 and related awards coverage included in the provided sources; available sources do not offer a comprehensive, cross-industry statistical study of repeat nomination rates beyond the Game Awards examples cited [1] [2].