PRIZE POOL $130,000 AND GROWING
DevGAMM
Awards 2026
Competition for the developers
of AA & indie games
Submissions deadline: September 7
until the submission deadline
Sponsored by
Official Streaming Partner
IGN
WHAT IS DEVGAMM AWARDS
DevGAMM Awards is an annual competition for small studios and indie developers, re-established in 2024.
With a $100,000+ prize pool and additional sponsor awards, winners are selected by a panel of 150+ industry experts, making it a remarkable opportunity for emerging gamedev talent.
The competition culminates in a grand ceremony at DevGAMM Lisbon 2026 on November 18, streamed live on IGN, the official streaming partner.
This competitions is a part of DevGAMM Lisbon 2026 Conference in Portugal
JUDGES
For each edition, we invite 150+ game industry professionals to evaluate all entries. Among them are artists, game designers and developers, producers, publishers, CEOs of gaming companies, and more.
Rami
Ismail
Gamedev Advisor
Kyle
Billings
Epic Games
Anran
Li
Riot Games
Mike
Geig
Unity Technologies
Vladimir
Tolmachev
tinyBuild
Elena
Lobova
Burny Games
Ryan
Sim
Warner Bros.
Tom
Gilchrist
Netflix
MAIN CATEGORIES
The full prize pool for winners in these categories is $100,000, provided by Scorewarrior.
Grand Prize
$20,000
The main category, with all submitted games eligible, whether they’re designed for desktop or mobile.
Excellence in Game Design
$10,000
Awarded to the game with the most innovative design solution or the most engaging gameplay.
Winner
Nominees
| Compress(space) | by B-Deshi Interactive | |
| Drop Duchy | by Sleepy Mill Studio | |
| Is This Seat Taken? | by Poti Poti Studio | |
| Jump Space | by Keepsake Games | |
| Stretchmancer | by Triangle Wave |
Excellence in Visual Art
$10,000
Awarded to the game with the most unique art style, featuring coherent art direction and outstanding graphic solutions.
Excellence in Narrative
$10,000
Awarded to the game with the most compelling and well-crafted storyline and storytelling.
Excellence in Audio
$10,000
Awarded to the game with the best sound direction, music, audio clarity, dubbing, and acting.
Best Mobile Game
$10,000
Awarded to the strongest competition entry designed for mobile devices.
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
Awarded to the most promising game in the early stages of development: demos or vertical slices that show strong potential and creativity.
Best Small Team Game
$5,000
Awarded to the best game created by a small independent team of up to 10 developers, without external publisher or investor support.
Meaningful Game
$5,000
Сelebrates games that create emotional, cultural, educational, social, political, or personal engagement through play.
Best Game from Portugal
$5,000
This category, part of DevGAMM Lisbon 2026, celebrates the best game created by Portuguese developers.
DevGAMM Choice
$5,000
A special award selected by the DevGAMM organizing team, recognizing a standout game that left a lasting impression during the competition.
Hidden Gems
A special category highlighting games that didn’t make the nominations but still deserve recognition and a spotlight.
SPONSORED CATEGORIES
In addition to the main categories, we invite publishers and game companies to participate in the competition by offering special prizes, allowing them to select their own winners from all the submitted entries.
Epic Games Store
Indie Spotlight
$15,000
This category honors the most outstanding indie title currently available on the Epic Games Store.
BEST UNREAL
ENGINE GAME
$10,000
This category celebrates the most outstanding game created with Unreal Engine, recognizing excellence in technology, creativity, and overall game quality.
Best Indie Game
by tinyBuild
$5,000
+ a comprehensive consultation package in production, marketing, or console porting, based on the team’s needs.
BEST MADE
WITH UNITY GAME
$3,000
This category awards the best indie games made with Unity engine.
More sponsored categories are coming!
Support the competition as a sponsor and gain access to the game catalogue featuring all entries from the competition
RULES
Submission requirements in a nutshell:
playable build
Game platforms
Game platforms eligible for the competition:
PC or Mobile
Release date
not earlier than September 7, 2025
Team size
Team size:
up to 50 people
If nominated
TIMELINE AND DEADLINES
SEP 7
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
SEPT 11 – NOV 9
THREE JUDGING ROUNDS
OCT 22
NOMINEES ANNOUNCEMENT
NOV 18
DEVGAMM AWARDS
CEREMONY IN LISBON
SEP 7
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
SEPT 11 – NOV 9
COMMUNITY VOTE & DEV CHOICE
OCT 22
THREE JUDGING ROUNDS
NOV 18
DEVGAMM AWARDS CEREMONY IN LISBON
PAST WINNERS OF DEVGAMM AWARDS
Lost In Play
Best Indie Game
DevGAMM Fest 2022
Cairn
Most Anticipated Game
DevGAMM Awards 2024
Drop Duchy
Excellence in Game Design
DevGAMM Awards 2025
Solasta – Crown of the Magister
Excellence in Game Design
DevGAMM Fall 2021
EVERSPACE 2
Best Desktop Game
DevGAMM 2020
Manor Lords
Grand Prize
DevGAMM Awards 2024
Keep Driving
Grand Prize
DevGAMM Awards 2025
Promise Mascot Agency
Epic Games Store Indie Spotlight
DevGAMM Awards 2025
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Best Desktop Game
DevGAMM Fest 2022
The Wandering Village
Grand Prize
DevGAMM Fest 2022
Against the Storm
Excellence in Game Design
DevGAMM Fest 2022
Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall
Excellence in Narrative
DevGAMM Awards 2024
