AWARDS RULES
Please read the rules before submitting your game.
If you have any questions, email games@devgamm.com.
DEADLINES & TIMELINE
SEP 30
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
OCT 1 – NOV 1
THREE JUDGING
ROUNDS
OCT 29
NOMINEES ANNOUNCEMENT
NOV 15
DEVGAMM AWARDS CEREMONY IN LISBON
- Development stage: Any (except prototype), from vertical slice to release version.
- Release: Unreleased or released after November 16, 2023.
- Team size: Up to 50 people.
- Country: Any, except Russia (read our statement)
- Availability of publisher/investor: Allowed.
- Availability of playable version: Required (see Build Requirements below).
- Platform: PC or Mobile.
- Representation: If nominated, a representative must be present at the Awards ceremony at DevGAMM Lisbon (can be a friend or industry person who represents the team).
(!) If a team is nominated but can’t find anyone to represent them during the Awards ceremony, organizers can remove the nomination.
If your game is available on multiple platforms, we recommend adding several build types.
Desktop / Steam:
- If the game is available on Steam, provide the link to your game’s page in the store. If it’s a paid game, provide 20 keys for our judges.
- If the game is not available on Steam, provide the link to your build in Google Drive or Dropbox.
Mobile:
- If the game is available on Google Play or App Store, provide the link to the game. If it’s paid, provide 20 keys for our judges.
- Provide a link to download the APK (for Android games).
- Provide an open link for TestFlight (for iOS games).
Browser:
- If the game is available in a browser, provide the link to the web version.
- If extra steps are necessary for access, describe them in the comments to your submission.
If you have other ways to provide access to the build for judges, please add in submissions for or email us to games@devgamm.com
(!) Games without builds will not be accepted.
For your submission, you will need:
- Name of the game
- Short game description
- Genre and development technology
- Date of development start and planned release
- Gameplay video (required) and trailer (optional)
- Information about developer and publisher (if any)
- Key art with game logo and at least 3 screenshots
- Build (PC and/or Mobile), and codes if needed (see Build Requirements below)
- Information about your team/studio
All games are automatically submitted to the following nominations:
- Grand Prize
- Developers Choice
- Community Vote
To apply for other main nominations, choose them during the submission process.
Grand Prize, Excellence in Game Design, Excellence in Audio, Excellence in Visual Art, Excellence in Narrative:
All submitted games that meet the criteria are eligible for these nominations.
Please refer to the section CRITERIA FOR GAMES AND TEAMS for detailed info.
Best Mobile Game:
Only entries with a mobile version and a provided mobile build will be considered for this nomination.
Best Game from Portugal:
Only games from teams based in Portugal are eligible for this nomination.
Most Anticipated Game:
Only unreleased games are eligible for this nomination.
The future release date should be not earlier than November 16, 2024.
Developers Choice:
All entries eligible for the competition are included in this category. The voting will be available to all the teams taking part in the competition.
Community Vote:
All entries eligible for the competition are included in this category, and the winner is determined by public voting, allowing all audiences to support their favorites.
In addition to the main nominations, we will have several sponsor nominations. Each sponsor will create their own nomination, set the criteria, define the prize, and select the winner for their category.
Best Indie Game by tinyBuild
Prize: $2,000 + a comprehensive consultation package in production, marketing, or console porting, based on the team’s needs.
Criteria: PC games only, unreleased games.
More sponsor nominations will be announced soon.
The Awards ceremony will take place at the DevGAMM Lisbon conference on November 15.
If you are nominated, but can’t attend, please refer to the corresponding section in the FAQ below.
The ceremony will be recorded and broadcast live.
If you plan to attend DevGAMM Lisbon 2024, you can apply for the Game Showcase using the same form as for the Awards.
This is a unique opportunity for game developers to present their games to a discerning audience, including top-level publishing companies, major game platforms, and investors.
We will provide a space for you to display your game during one or two conference days.
If your application is approved, we will send you a detailed guideline. You can view last year’s guideline. Please note that it may change slightly.
If you plan to attend DevGAMM Lisbon 2024, you can apply for the Public Pitch using the same form as for the Awards.
If selected, you will have 5 minutes on stage to pitch your game in front of a live audience and expert judges on the jury, who will provide valuable feedback on your pitch deck.
This activity is limited to 5 teams only. Apply now via the single submission form.
At each DevGAMM, we aim to organize a Steam Event. Sometimes we receive a feature from Valve, and sometimes we do not. However, we consistently invite teams participating in the Game Showcase, all Awards nominees, and select games from submissions to the Steam event. Take your chances!
For a guaranteed spot in the Steam event, apply for the Game Showcase and join us at DevGAMM Lisbon 2024.
FAQ
Submit your entry before September 30, 2024, via this link. You can also use the same form to apply for more game activities at DevGAMM Lisbon 2024.
You can edit your submission up until the submission deadline on September 30.
By submitting your game, you agree that it will be considered for the Grand Prize category and be up for voting in the Community Vote and Developers Choice categories.
If your game is announced as a nominee for any main category on October 29, 2024, a team representative must be present at the ceremony in Lisbon on November 15, at the DevGAMM Lisbon 2024 conference.
If you are unable to attend, you can ask a friend, colleague, or local developer to represent you at the ceremony.
The organizers reserve the right to exclude any game from the list of nominees without giving reasons.
Game submission is free and does not require any additional fees.
However, if you are nominated, you will need to attend the DevGAMM Lisbon 2024 conference on November 14-15. Nominees will be provided with a complimentary INDIE DEV ticket to the conference.
If more than one team representative would like to attend and/or participate in other conference activities, they will need to purchase a ticket of any type.
(!) Special rates are available for indie teams with an INDIE DEV ticket. You can claim your pass by introducing your team and your game at games@devgamm.com.
Games with sexual content, harmful content, discriminatory content, or offensive content will be rejected.
We reserve the right to reject an application without providing an explanation.
No, your game can be in any phase of development. The only requirement is that you will need to have a playable build.
Yes, games that are in development stages like Early Access, Soft Launch, Open Beta, Closed Beta, Open Alpha, Closed Alpha, etc., can be submitted.
Additionally, we accept games that have already been released, but the release date must not be earlier than November 16, 2023 (one year before the Awards ceremony).
The submission of game keys is necessary so that judges can play and evaluate your game thoroughly.
Typically, we request 20 keys to ensure all judges have access. Occasionally, if there are more judges assigned to a category, we may request additional keys later to accommodate them.
Attendance is mandatory for all nominees, with the list being announced on October 29.
If you’re unable to attend, you can ask someone from the game industry to represent you, such as another developer from your country who is participating in the event.
Using the same submission form, you can also apply for other game activities at DevGAMM Lisbon 2024:
- Game Showcase: An in-person expo with booths for your dev team, where attendees play games.
- Public Pitch: A competition for 5 teams featuring a 5-minute pitch on stage in front of the jury and audience.
- Steam Event: A dedicated Steam page featuring games from the Awards and DevGAMM conference.
Please refer to the STEAM EVENT section in the rules above.
We guarantee spots on the Steam page to:
- All teams participating in the Game Showcase at DevGAMM Lisbon.
- All nominees in the main categories at the Awards.
Additionally, we select other games submitted for event activities.
To become a judge for the competition and gain access to new games, you need to meet the following criteria:
- Have at least 5 years of industry experience.
- Have released games in your portfolio or relevant experience in the game industry.
Terms of participation:
- A judge will evaluate up to 20 games automatically assigned to them in the first round of voting and up to 20 games in the second round.
- The full judging process spans a month (October 1st – November 1st).
If you are interested in helping us determine winners and providing valuable feedback to participating teams, you can apply as a judge.
Yes, we have a Discord server. Join our Discord server here.
For any questions regarding the DevGAMM Awards competition, please contact us via games@devgamm.com or through our Discord server.
For matters regarding the DevGAMM Lisbon 2024 conference, please contact us via contact@devgamm.com.
