Entries are now open for the first ever Scottish Game Awards, highlighting the outstanding achievements of those involved in the games ecosystem across Scotland.

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Open to every individual and organisation involved in the games ecosystem in Scotland, the Award ceremony, which takes place at Malmaison, Dundee, on October 27 2022 will be the epic culmination of the first-ever Scottish Games Week.

Given the disruption caused by Covid-related lockdowns and the cancellations of many major events since early 2020, the entry criteria for the 2022 Scottish Games Awards have been designed to encourage as many entries as possible. Therefore entries are encouraged that focus on work undertaken or games released from January 1st 2020 to August 31st 2022.

All entries for the Scottish Games Awards are free.

Entries are open until 17:00 on 12 September 2022, so get your applications in now.

The 12 categories within the Scottish Game Awards will recognise and champion talent across the games ecosystem in Scotland.

The full list of awards includes:

Craft Awards 

• Art & Animation – The creative use of art or animated context within a game, or using games technology

• Technical Achievement – the outstanding use of new, innovative or creative technology within a games context

• Audio – The best use of audio within a games context

• Creativity Award – The greatest, most innovative or unusual application of creativity within a games context

• Best Tools/Tech – The best provision of technology or tools within a games context (can be for design, creation, publishing, distribution, monetisation, etc.)

Education Awards

• Best Educational Programme – The most valuable educational programme offering games-related skills within Scotland

• Best Educator – The most valuable individual involved in the provision of games-related skills in Scotland

Scottish Game of the Year

• Small Budget – Games with a budget from £0 – £10,000

• Big Budget – Games with a budget from £10,000 upwards

Personal Awards

• Diversity Champion – The person who has actively pushed for greater inclusion, equality and diversity within the Scottish games ecosystem

• The Stewart Gilray Award (Community Spirit) – The person who has helped, supported, nurtured and mentored others across the Scottish games ecosystem

• Lifetime Achievement – The person who has achieved ongoing success across their career within the Scottish games ecosystem

The Community Spirit Award has been named in memory of Scottish games creator, Stewart Gilray. Stewart, who was sadly lost to COVID-19 at the beginning of 2022, was the founder of development studio Just Add Water, which produced some truly seminal games including Gravity Crash and the Oddworld series.

A range of experts from across the UK games ecosystem and the Scottish business community have generously volunteered their time to act as judges for the Scottish Games Awards. For the 2022 competition the judges are:

• Louise Blain (Chair): Freelance writer and broadcaster at BBC Radio 3, BBC Scotland, and NME

• Brian Baird: Technical Director at Bethesda Games Studios Austin

• Joe Donnelly: Feature Writer at GamesRadar+

• Alisdair Gunn: Director at Glasgow City Innovation District

• Evelyn McDonald: CEO at Scottish Edge and Board Member of Scottish Design Exchange

• Keza MacDonald: Video Games Editor at The Guardian

• Jim Trinca: Games journalist and video producer

• Jo Twist: CEO of UKIE

Louise Blain, the Chair of the judges, said: “I’m so thrilled that we are getting a chance to celebrate the vibrancy of the Scottish games industry and can’t wait to see what the judging panel will be diving into.”

Apply here by 17:00 on 12 September 2022. Scotland has a wealth of talent in this industry and now is the time to show the world the outstanding work being undertaken by developers, animators, sound designers and more.

The Scottish Game Awards is the climactic event of Scottish Games Week, taking place between 24 and 28 October. Hosting a wide variety of events across the country including More Than Games, an Educational Symposium and a two-day long SGW Industry Conference. Scottish Games Week was created to show the world that Scotland has a vibrant, pioneering, and thriving gaming sector – that is a key area of the country’s digital and creative economies. The week-long event has been spearheaded by industry leader Brian Baglow, formerly of DMA Design and the founder of the Scottish Games Network. Early-bird tickets are available now through Citizen Ticket until Friday 2 September.

To find out more about Scottish Games Week, visit gamesweek.scot