To submit your game, please prepare the following:

• Game title
• Short description of the game
• Development technology
• Genre tags
• Development start date and planned release date
• Gameplay video (for judges only, not public)
• Public video (trailer, gameplay, or letsplay – your choice)
• Information about the development team and publisher (if applicable)
• Key art with game logo
• Playable build (PC and/or mobile), including access codes if required (see Build Requirements below)
• Company information

All competition judges sign an NDA, ensuring that any sensitive information you provide remains confidential.

• Development stage: Any (except early prototypes), from vertical slice to release version.
• Release: Unreleased, or released after September 7, 2025.
• Company size: Up to 50 people.
• Country: Any, except Russia (see our statement) 
• Publisher/investor: Allowed.
• Playable version: Required (see Build Requirements below).
• Platform: PC or Mobile.
• Previous DevGAMM Awards participation: Games that have won a DevGAMM Award cannot be submitted again. Games that were nominated but did not win can be resubmitted – but not in the same categories.
• Representation: If nominated, a representative must attend the Awards ceremony at DevGAMM Lisbon (a team member or designated representative).

(!) If no representative can attend the Awards ceremony in Lisbon, the organizers reserve the right to withdraw the nomination.

If your game is available on multiple platforms, we recommend providing several build versions.

Your game must be playable on the following devices:

• for PC: mouse/keyboard or gamepad
• for mobile: phone only

If your game requires external devices (e.g. VR headset, console), we won’t be able to distribute it to judges.

Desktop / Steam

Option 1:

• If your game is on Steam, provide a link to its store page.
• If it’s a paid game, include 25 keys for judges.
• If nominated, you’ll need to provide 50 additional keys for the final judging round.

Option 2:

• If your game is not on Steam (or you prefer not to share keys), provide a link to a build via Google Drive or Dropbox.

Mobile

Option 1:

• If your game is available on Google Play or the App Store, provide a link to the game.
• If it’s a paid game, include 25 keys for judges
• If nominated, you’ll be asked to provide 50 additional keys for the final judging round.

Option 2:

• Provide a link to download the APK (for Android games).
• Provide an open TestFlight link (for iOS games).

Browser

• If your game is playable in a browser, provide a link to the web version.
• If any additional steps are required to access it, please describe them in the submission comments.

VR

• VR games are accepted only if they can be played on a PC without a headset. In that case, they will be judged alongside other PC titles.

If you have other ways to provide access to your build, include them in your submission or email [email protected].

(!) Games without a build will not be accepted.

(!) If the build is inaccessible or keys don’t work during judging, the game may be disqualified.

All games are automatically entered into to the following categories:

• Grand Prize
• DevGAMM Choice

To apply for other main categories, select 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.
(See Criteria for Games and Teams for details.)

Best Mobile Game:
Requires a mobile version and a provided mobile build.

Best Game from Portugal:
A game qualifies if it is developed by a company registered or based in Portugal, and/or if at least 50% of the development team are Portuguese residents. Organizers may request proof.

Most Anticipated Game:
Open to unreleased games only. The release date must be no earlier than November 19, 2026.

Best Game in Early Development:
For games at the demo or vertical slice stage.

Best Small Team Game:
For teams of up to 10 people with no publisher or external investors.

Meaningful Game:
This category celebrates games that create emotional, cultural, educational, social, political, or personal engagement through play.

Meaning is not a genre. It emerges through the player experience when a game encourages reflection, fosters empathy, opens new perspectives, inspires curiosity, strengthens community, or helps players better understand themselves and the world around them.

This category welcomes games that engage meaningful themes directly, and games where meaning emerges more quietly through systems, storytelling, atmosphere, or interaction.

In addition to the main categories, the competition also includes sponsored nominations.

Each sponsor defines their own category, sets the criteria, determines the prize, and selects the winner.

Epic Games Store Indie Spotlight

Prize: $15,000, facilitated by DevGAMM on behalf of Epic Games.

Criteria:

1. PC games only.
2. Stage of development: Released or Early Access.
3. Small studios up to 50 people.
4. The game must be live and available for purchase/play on the Epic Games Store (PC) no later than September 1, 2026 (initial release date should not be older than January 1, 2025).

Best Unreal Engine Game

Prize: $10,000, facilitated by DevGAMM on behalf of Epic Games.

Criteria: 

1. Only games made only Unreal Engine.
2. Platform: PC or Mobile.

Best Indie Game by tinyBuild

Prize: $5,000 in cash with no obligations. Additionally, the winning developer will receive a comprehensive consultation tailored to the team’s needs, covering production, marketing, or console porting.

Criteria: 

1. PC games only
2. Stage of development:  Prototype, Demo, Vertical slice, Release candidate  
3. Publisher status: Looking for a publisher, Haven’t decided yet

Best Made with Unity Game

Prize: $3,000, facilitated by DevGAMM on behalf of Unity.

Criteria: 

1. Games must be made with Unity only.
2. PC or Mobile games.
3. Stage of development: any.
4. Small studios up to 20 people.
5. Publisher status: No publisher.

The competition consists of three voting rounds:

• SEP 11 – SEP 28 – First round: Shortlisting (based on gameplay video)
• OCT 2 – OCT 19 – Second round: Evaluation (judges play the games)
• OCT 23 – NOV 9 – Third round: Election of winners (judges play the games)

Find more details in this document.

The ceremony will take place at the DevGAMM Conference in Lisbon on November 18.

If you’re nominated but unable to attend, please refer to the relevant section in the FAQ below.

The ceremony will be recorded and streamed live.

If you’re planning to attend DevGAMM Lisbon 2026, you can apply for the Game Showcase using the same form as for the Awards.

The Showcase is an expo area at the conference in Lisbon. If your game is selected, we’ll provide a free booth and a PC.

To participate, you’ll need to purchase a ticket and be present at the event to showcase your game to attendees and publishers. You’ll be assigned to one of the two conference days (we’ll confirm which one).

If approved, you’ll receive detailed guidelines. For now, you can refer to last year’s version (note: minor updates may apply).

Submission deadline: September 7

If you’re planning to attend DevGAMM Lisbon 2026, you can apply for the Public Pitch using the same form as for the Awards.

Only 5 teams will be selected to pitch their games live on the Main Stage at DevGAMM Lisbon on November 17-18. 

Each team gets 5 minutes to present, followed by immediate feedback from the jury.

See how it looked last time: view on YouTube.

Submission deadline: September 7

We host a Steam Event at every DevGAMM. While it’s sometimes featured by Valve on the main page, this isn’t guaranteed.

Theme: DevGAMM Awards Celebration

(!) You’ll be included if:

• Your game is accepted into the DevGAMM Awards
  and/or
• You’re selected for and participate in the Game Showcase at DevGAMM Lisbon 2026

If you withdraw your game from the Awards and/or Game Showcase, it will be automatically removed from the Steam Event.

Submission deadline: September 7