The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) is known as the branch organization for the theme park industry and organize multiple expos and events around the world each year. Once a year, at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, a committee announces the winners of awards to what the organization thinks are the best new attractions and innovations in the industry. Once again this year, multiple dark and show rides were awarded with this so-called Brass Ring Award.
The Brass Ring Awards are divided in several categories, of which “Major Ride/Attraction”, “Family Ride/Attraction” and “Patron Participation Ride/Attraction” could have nominated or winning dark and show rides. The Major Ride/Attraction category is in turn divided into two: Product cost less then US$3 million, or above US$3.
Intamin Amusment Rides and Attraktion! were awarded with not one, but two Brass Ring Awards for their collaboration on the Hypersphere 360° at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.). It received the first place award for Major Ride/Attraction >$3mln and the prestigious Impact Award. Hypersphere 360° is the very first installation of the so called Dome Ride Theatre and it is one of the signature attractions of the new marine theme park in the United Arabian Emirates.
Intamin won a second Brass Ring Award with the new Uncharted: El Enigma de Penitence indoor roller coaster at PortAventura (Spain). This ‘dark coaster’, designed as semi-dark ride in collaboration with Sally Dark Rides won the second place in the category Major Ride/Attraction >$3mln. The coaster, that features several dark ride scenes, is based on the Uncharted game and film franchise.
Interactive dark ride Champi’Folies at Le Pal (France) was awarded second place for Major Ride/Attraction <$3mln. The attraction marked the debut of BoldMove Nation and Triotech‘s co-produced ‘Smash & Reload’ attraction. Riders of the attraction, that features a ride system by Gosetto, need to stop a horde of zombie mushrooms from taking over the city.
Ride Engineers Switzerland have won the first place for “Family Ride/Attraction” for their Vertical Dark Ride. The company opened their first installation of the attraction type, which features small free fall with special effects, earlier this year in Conny-Land (Switzerland) called Crazy Professor. That attraction was co-developed by Farmer Attraction Development and the park. It tells the story of the inventor of a gravity defying machine that doesn’t quite work as it is supposed to.
Second place for “Family Ride/Attraction” went to the new stand alone dark ride Treasure Hunt: The Ride at Cannery Row in Monterey (CA, U.S.A.). The attraction, that is operated by Daniels Wood Land, is a creative collaboration between DWL and Sally Dark Rides (for whom this is their second award this year). It features a ride system by Gosetto and interactivity by Alterface. The attraction revolves around a local myth featuring a pirate treasure.
IAAPA has not yet released a list of award winners. These are the attractions that we know have won an award. It is possible that this list will be supplemented.
