The prestigious game development competition celebrating excellence in games, is back for its third edition in Lisbon. After two landmark ceremonies, the competition returns bigger than ever, with new nominations, new sponsors, and IGN joining as the official streaming partner.

   This edition features a total prize pool of $100,000 in cash, supported by Scorewarrior, plus an additional $20,000+ in sponsored category prizes from Epic Games Store, Unreal Engine, tinyBuild, and Unity, with additional partners to be announced soon. The grand ceremony takes place at DevGAMM Lisbon, a 2-days B2B game conference, on November 18, 2026.

   DevGAMM will also have an official streaming partner, IGN, to bring the finale to an even wider audience. Together, DevGAMM will honor outstanding achievements across every aspect of game development while inspiring the next generation of creators.

Over 150 game industry professionals will evaluate projects through DevGAMM’s automated judging system. This year’s nominations are more expansive than ever:

• Grand Prize – $20,000, awarded to the best overall game in the competition
• Excellence in Game Design – $10,000 for the game with the most innovative design solution or the most engaging gameplay
• Excellence in Visual Art – $10,000 to the most unique art style, featuring coherent art direction and outstanding graphic solutions
• Excellence in Narrative – $10,000 for the most compelling and well-crafted storyline and storytelling
• Excellence in Audio – $10,000 to the game with the best sound direction, music, audio clarity, dubbing, and acting.
• Best Mobile Game – $10,000 for the strongest entry designed for mobile devices in the competition
• Most Anticipated Game – $5,000 awarded to the unreleased game with the highest potential to become a future standout in gaming
• Best Game in Early Development – $5,000 for the most promising demo or vertical slice showing strong potential and creativity
• Best Small Team Game – $5,000 for the best game created by an independent team of up to 10 developers, without publisher or investor support
• Meaningful Game – $5,000 for the game that best addresses important social, cultural, or environmental topics through gameplay and storytelling
• Best Innovation – $5,000 for the game that pushes boundaries with the most original or experimental concept
• Best Game from Portugal – $5,000 for the best game created by Portuguese developers
• DevGAMM Choice – $5,000 A special award selected by the DevGAMM team, recognizing a standout game that left a lasting impression

And sponsored categories with additional prizes:

• Epic Games Store Indie Spotlight – $15,000, honored the most outstanding indie title currently available on the Epic Games Store.
• Unreal Engine Spotlight – $10,000, celebrated the most outstanding game created with Unreal Engine.
• Best Indie Game by tinyBuild – $5,000 + a consultation package in production, marketing, or console porting.
• Best Made with Unity Game – $3,000, awarded the best indie game made with the Unity engine.

  Previously, more than 600 teams from across the world entered the competition. Winners included Manor Lords, Keep Driving, Despelote, Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall, and many others. 150 qualified judges cast their votes and provided individual feedback and improvement recommendations to every participating team. 

  The competition is open to indie developers and small studios worldwide. Submissions are free, and the deadline to apply is September 7, 2026.