Since 1992, awards have been presented annually for the best premiere role-playing games at Fastaval, and since 2012 for the best designer board games. The award is called Otto and is shaped like a golden penguin, which is also Fastaval’s logo. The Otto competition is an integral part of Fastaval and has been a hugely important factor in developing the quality and creativity of Fastaval. The Otto is awarded every year on Sunday evening at Fastaval, at a show where we also honor the year’s organizers, players, and Fastaval in general.
In addition to the awards for creative products, othe award is also presented to a person or group who has made an extraordinary contribution to Fastaval.
These individuals/groups have received an Honorary Otto
1992: Mads Lunau
1993: Paul Hartvigson
1994: Troels Chr. Jakobsen
1995: Cool Fish Delivery
1996: Søren Parbæk
1997: Rollespilsmagasinet Fønix
1998: Kristoffer Apollo og Mette Finderup
1999: Not awarded
2000: Peter Bengtsen
2001: Sara Hald
2002: Morten Juul
2003: Natural Born Holmers
2004: Peter Brodersen
2005: Merlin P. Mann
2006: Malik Hyltoft
2007: Landsforeningen for Levende Rollespil
2008: Brian Rasmussen
2009: Jesper Wøldiche
2010: Vi Åker Jeep
2011: Lars Andreasen
2012: Klaus Meier Olsen & Kristoffer Rudkjær
2013: Jesper Heebøll Arbjørn
2014: DirtBusters
2015: Claus Raasted
2016: Simon James Pettit
2017: René Bokær Pedersen
2018: Peter Lind
2019: Joan Zenia Juhl Hansen
2020: Not awarded
2021: Andreas Ravn Skovse
2022: Alex K. Uth
2023: Maya Krone & Mette Finderup
2024: Otto’s Coffee Inn
2025: Ole Sørensen
About the Honorary Otto
The Honorary Otto is a pat on the back and a tribute to a person, group or organisation that has made an extraordinary contribution over time to making Fastaval and the gaming community what it is today.
Alea, the organisation behind Fastaval, awards the Honorary Otto, and it is a tradition for Alea to ask the previous year’s winner to present the award. It is also traditional for this person to assemble a jury and listen to the opinions of the Fastaval community. However, there are no fixed criteria for how to earn a nomination or award. The Honorary Otto is a dynamic entity that is adapted by each year’s jury.
Who do YOU think?
This year’s jury has decided to follow tradition. To gain a broader overview of the Fastaval environment than we ourselves have, we would like to hear from all of you who also love Fastaval: Who do YOU think deserves special recognition?
Send us your nomination suggestions via the online form, which will be published here on the website and on Fastaval’s social media channels in the months leading up to Fastaval. The nominations will be used as inspiration and guidelines. Ultimately, it is the Honorary Otto jury that decides who is officially nominated for and receives the Honorary Otto, but we appreciate each and every one of your nominations.
How the Honorary Otto is awarded
The Honorary Otto is awarded every year on Saturday at Fastaval at an open reception. Here you can enjoy a glass of bubbly and applaud all the nominees. The Honorary Otto will also be awarded from the stage on Sunday evening at the Otto Party, where the recipient of the Honorary Otto will have the opportunity to give an acceptance speech.
Honorary Jury of the Year at Fastaval 2026
Bjørn-Morten Vang Gundersen
In 2003, a somewhat younger Bjørn started role-playing in the dark Thy region. This has grown into more than two decades of love for our shared geekiness, and over the years it has resulted in silly role-playing songs, both nationally and internationally, tabletop role-playing games, LARPs, photographs, and even a medieval band that haunts that environment.
Over the years, this has resulted in extensive contact with organizations and individuals, as well as a vast amount of observations and experiences regarding how things are done, why they are done, and who does them. Bjørn will draw on these experiences when selecting this year’s receiver of the Honorary Otto.
Louise Skriver Lægteskov
Louise has been attending Fastaval since she was 11 years old and continues to return, partly because she has long since booked her Easter vacation for many years to come. She has played all types of Fastaval scenarios and particularly likes that Fastaval provides space for curiosity, play, and new ways of role-playing. She has been involved as a main organizer and player and has written scenarios for Fastaval Junior. Today, Louise spends a large part of her role-playing time on international LARPs, but she returns to Fastaval for the atmosphere, the community, and the ideas that arise when many different people meet to role-play. Outside of Fastaval, Louise works as a property service technician and firefighter, in both cases with the hope that the buildings will remain standing.
Nickolaj Storgaard Oksen
Ole Sørensen
Ole has been part of Fastaval since he fell into the pot at the beginning of the millennium – and he has never looked back. He is passionate about role-playing in all its forms: he plays and organizes live role-playing games, preferably with a historical edge, loves board games and tabletop role-playing games, and has a fondness for all kinds of nerds.
Over the years, he has often been part of the main organizing group, but today he has slowed down a bit and devoted his energy to Fastaval’s safety work. Outside of Fastaval, Ole is a history, politics, and art nerd—and he goes on incredibly long walks in the dark forest, presumably while pondering the state of the world, his next role-playing game, or just talking to people and animals along the way.
Ole received the Honorary Award in 2025 and is the chair of the jury in 2026.
Theodore Fjord Sommer Trankjær
Be considered as a judge at Fastaval
Every year, the Head Judges appoint their team of associate judges to the juries. It is entirely up to the sitting Head Judges to appoint their team, but they are always open to suggestions and input. Perhaps you are just the person they need?
Send an email with your name and whether you are interested in being a board game judge, scenario judge or sitting on the honorary jury, and Alea will compile a list that we will share with the Head Judges as soon as they have been appointed.
You cannot expect to hear anything from the judges, but they may reach out to hear more or to invite you to participate. Alea updates the list regularly, so you only need to send an email with your name once, and otherwise write to us if you would like to be removed from the list.
Write to alea@fastaval.dk with your name and your preference for judging duties, and possibly a few keywords about what you can offer as a judge.
We look forward to hearing from you!
– Alea’s board (the organisation behind Fastaval)
