The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), a non-profit representing compelling places and experiences worldwide, has revealed the winners of the 31st Annual Thea Awards. During a live event at SeaWorld Orlando, the TEA recognised the exceptional teams and creative talents responsible for designing, constructing, installing, and debuting remarkable new guest experiences worldwide. This announcement launches the yearly celebration leading up to TEA’s INSPIRE program, Thea Awards, and Gala in Universal City, California.
“For more than 30 years, the TEA has celebrated the creators, developers, designers and producers who make the themed entertainment industry special,” says Matt Barton, international board president for the TEA and chairperson of 7thSense. “The Thea Awards are the epitome of excellence and our industry’s highest honor. The combined work of this year’s Thea Award winners brings joy to millions of guests worldwide while inspiring our industry to continue to push the envelope of creativity and innovation.”
In the presentation, the TEA revealed an expansion of its annual honours with the introduction of the TEA Recognition of Merit. This aims to highlight projects that, while they may not have secured a Thea Award of Outstanding Achievement, showcase exceptional creativity, innovation, and execution within this growing industry. The TEA Recognition of Merit celebrates both the projects and the individuals involved, including content creators such as designers, architects, engineers, technicians, and business leaders.
The 31st annual Thea Award winners
The Buzz Price Thea Award for a Lifetime of Outstanding Achievement: Rick Rothschild, founder and chief creative, FAR Out! Creative Direction
The Thea Catalyst Award: Dayton Schroeder, AIA, vice president and design director, SmithGroup, and Naoki Tanaka, creative director, Dentsu Lab Tokyo
The Thea Classic Award: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando Resort
Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement:
- Attraction, Limited Budget: The Ladder – Immersive Gaming, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Attraction: Voltron Nevera powered by Rimac, Europa Park, Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Attraction, Limited Budget: Adventure Play at Windsor Great Park, Windsor, United Kingdom
- Children’s Museum, Limited Budget: NEOBIO Museum, Shanghai, China
- Immersive Land: Valley of Witches, Ghibli Park, Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Immersive Show/Hotel Lobby Transformation, Limited Budget: The Legend of Luna: A Great Wolf Story, Great Wolf Lodge, Perryville Maryland, USA
- Immersive Technology and Production: The Sphere, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- International Live Spectacular: 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Opening Ceremonies, Paris, France
- Live Event: Kiss of The Sea (Nụ hôn của Biển Cả), Sunset Town, Vietnam
- Marine Theme Park: Chimelong Spaceship, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
- Museum: International African American Museum, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Museum Attraction: The Priddy Family Foundation Freedom Theater at the National WWII Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Spectacular Show: Chimelong Show, Chimelong Theater, Zhuhai, China
- Technological Innovation: BDX Droids Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development (Glendale, CA) and Disney Research Zurich (Switzerland)
- Theme Park Land: Fantasy Springs, Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan
- Theme Park Land: Zootopia, Shanghai Disney Resort, Shanghai, China
- Waterpaark: Aquascope, Futuroscope, Jaunay-Marigny, France
TEA Recognition of Merit (New for 2025)
- Attraction, Limited Budget: Treasure Hunt: The Ride, Monterey Bay, California, USA
- Connected Immersion Event, Limited Budget: The DigiWave Experience, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Immersive Gaming, Limited Budget: The Time Travel Agency at Electric Forest Festival, Rothbury, Michigan, USA
The Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award: Lynn Willrich, co-owner & director, D J Willrich, Ltd.
“The increasing quality of yearly Thea submissions is a testament to the expertise, passion, and focus of our industry. Each year, the Thea Awards Judging Committee has a tough task of reviewing hundreds of truly outstanding and deserving projects,” says Andy Westfall, chair of the Thea Awards Judging Committee and senior director of strategic planning and development, Herschend Family Entertainment.
“This year we received even more award submissions than the prior year, demonstrating that professionals around the world are proud of their work and aspire to earn a Thea Award. Today we celebrate these amazing projects and the teams that brought them to life.”
Recently, the TEA announced the appointment of Melissa Oviedo as its new chief executive officer.
