Smart Toy of the Year Award

A game based on the concept of magnetism has beaten homemade slime and a mind-bending kaleidoscope to win first prize in a contest for science toys. Polarity, which requires players to balance playing pieces in magnetic fields, scooped the gong at a ceremony held at the Science Museum yesterday.



The Smart Toy Awards were judged by a panel of experts including psychiatrist Raj Persaud and Diane Lees, director of the the Museum of Childhood, a part of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Dr Persaud said that Polarity, developed by Esdevium Games, was a worthy winner: "It uses the fundamental principles of magnetism to create a tough, but absorbing game."

Each entry had to be priced between £5 and £50 and be suitable for children between the ages of 6 and 14.