Welcome to the DOTYs

The Deck of the Year awards (The DOTYs) is a celebration of playing card design and those who create them. With a focus on poker-size decks that have come out within the calendar year, we spotlight the best of the best across 14 key categories. Together with the help of the playing card community, we aim to nominate 10 extraordinary decks per category and award their makers with prizes and accolades. And as a thank you to those community members who participate, we enter voters into a massive giveaway made possible by a group of amazing sponsors and industry partners. We invite you to join us in this new chapter of the DOTYs.

The Deck of the Year awards is an event organized by members of the playing card community for the playing card community. It is managed, officially as of 2024, by The Academy of Playing Card Arts & Sciences, a not-for-profit organization formed specifically to run this event. The mission of the Academy is to promote meaningful design, foster authentic relationships, and celebrate art & humanity. We envision a rich and interconnected playing card community powered by positivity.

Who we are