The Ion Award is the largest board game design competition in the United States.
It is held annually in Utah at the SaltCON board game convention.
Board game designs that have won the Ion Award or have been selected as finalists have been published every year since its inception.
The 4 finalists in each category[13] are invited to attend the final round of judging at the SaltCON convention, where they present their game design in person to the final judges.
After the final judging, the winners are announced at the Awards Ceremony at the convention.