1974 (1st Annual Awards presented in 1975)
Don Turnbull
1975 (2nd Annual Awards presented in 1976)
James F Dunnigan
1976 (3rd Annual Awards presented in 1977)
Tom Shaw
1977 (4th Annual Awards presented in 1978)
Redmond Simonsen
Dungeons & Dragons (TSR, Inc.)
Empire (Empire Games)
1978 (5th Annual Awards presented in 1979)
John Hill
1979 (6th Annual Awards presented in 1980)
David Isby
1980 (7th Annual Awards presented in 1981)
E Gary Gygax
1981 (8th Annual Awards presented in 1982)
Marc Miller
1982 (9th Annual Awards presented in 1983)
Steve Jackson
Charles Roberts
1983 (10th Annual Awards presented in 1984)
Dave Arneson
1984 (11th Annual Awards presented in 1985)
Frank Chadwick
1985 (12th Annual Awards presented in 1986)
None
1986 (13th Annual Awards presented in 1987)
Lou Zocchi
1987 (14th Annual Awards presented in 1988)
Greg Stafford
1988 (15th Annual Awards presented in 1989)
Rick Loomis
1989 (16th Annual Awards presented in 1990)
Jim Ward
1990 (17th Annual Awards presented in 1991)
Richard Berg
Sandy Petersen
1991 (18th Annual Awards presented in 1992)
Don Greenwood
Tom Meier
1992 (19th Annual Awards presented in 1993)
None
1993 (20th Annual Awards presented in 1994)
Ace of Aces (Nova Games)
Diplomacy (Games Research, Inc, The Avalon Hill Company)
Don Featherstone
Michael A. Stackpole
1994 (21st Annual Awards presented in 1995)
Risk! (Parker Brothers)
Dragon Magazine (TSR, Inc.)
Nigel Findley
Julie Guthrie
Jordan Weisman
1995 (22nd Annual Awards presented in 1996)
Axis & Allies (Nova Games, Milton Bradley)
Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium, Inc.)
Liz Danforth
1996 (23rd Annual Awards presented in 1997)
Darwin Bromley
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (TSR, Inc.)
Cosmic Encounter (Eon Products, Inc.)
Traveller (Game Designers Workshop)
1997 (24th Annual Awards presented in 1998)
Nuclear War (Flying Buffalo)
BattleTech Mechs & Vehicles (Ral Partha)
Berg's Review of Games (Richard Berg)
Illuminati Play-by-Mail (Adventure Systems, Flying Buffalo, Inc.)
Middle-earth Play-by-Mail (Game Systems, Inc.)
The Courier (Courier Publications)
1998 (25th Annual Awards presented in 1999)
Richard Garfield
Magic: The Gathering (Wizards of the Coast)
1999 (26th Annual Awards presented in 2000)
Champions (Hero Systems)
GURPS (Steve Jackson Games)
Greg Costikyan
Larry Elmore
2000 (27th Annual Awards presented in 2001)
None
2001 (28th Annual Awards presented in 2002)
Margaret Weis
Tracy Hickman
Settlers of Catan (Klaus Teuber)
2002 (29th Annual Awards presented in 2003)
None
2003 (30th Annual Awards presented in 2004)
Ed Greenwood
Larry Bond
Loren Wiseman
Bob Charrette
Reiner Knizia
Klaus Teuber
Squad Leader (Avalon Hill)
Warhammer 40K (Games Workshop)
2004 (31st Annual Awards presented in 2005)
Duke Seifried
2005 (32nd Annual Awards presented in 2006)
Aaron Allston
Jolly R. Blackburn
Rodger MacGowan
Dennis Mize (posthumous)
Michael Pondsmith
Star Fleet Battles (Amarillo Design Bureau)
2006 (33rd Annual Awards presented in 2007)
Jonathan Tweet
Alan R. Moon
Pendragon: The Role-Playing Game of Arthurian Britain (Designed by Greg Stafford)
Napoleon's Battles (Avalon Hill Game Company) (Designed by Robert Coggins and Craig Taylor)
2007 (34th Annual Awards presented in 2008)
R.A. Salvatore
Vampire: The Masquerade (White Wolf Game Studios)
Paranoia (West End Games)
