The five finalists for this year's award all exemplify "excellence" in the games industry in their own unique ways. The Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming is awarded to "...a game system or supplement, a magazine, a company, a designer, an event or convention, or any other entity that shows gaming at its absolute zenith." This year, Adepticon (in the Midwest) and Fastaval (in Denmark) were both nominated as conventions. TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida was also nominated as a charity bundle by Rue Dickey.

The sole designer amongst the nominees was Ami Baio, who is the owner of Pink Tiger Games. Finally, the DJA committee nominated the United Paizo Workers for their groundbreaking work in helping to bring unionization to the games industry (see "Paizo Employees Form Union"). The winner of the award will be announced at Gen Con on July 31, 2024.