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INDIE GAME AWARDS

ABOUT THE
CEREMONY

An IRL awards show dedicated to indie games and the people who make them, spotlighting the best and the brightest globally

NOMINATIONS
PROCESS

Some categories see studios nominating themselves, while others are nominated by the public*
Submissions for all categories are open until 17 December 2024, and shortlisted nominees will be announced on 21 January 2025
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AWARD CATEGORIES

Award for Mental Health
Award for Accessibility
Best Soundtrack
Best Sound Design
Best Art Direction
Best Gameplay
Best Narrative
Best VR Game
Best UK Indie
Innovation & Creativity Award
Physical Release of the Year
Free Play Award
Retro World Award
Best New Studio
Subscribers’ Choice Award *
Debug Game of the Year
Most Anticipated Award *
ICYMI Award *
Best PR Campaign
Best Influencer Marketing
Most Influential Person

TICKETS

The Indie Game Awards are now accessible to all!

The Indie Game Awards 2025 take place on 21 February 2025

Location: Metronome, Nottingham, UK
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SUBMIT A GAME

It’s time to submit your game for consideration! Follow the instructions on the form below, and if you have any queries please reach out to us on awards@teamdebug.com
Final nominees for all categories will be announced on 21 January 2025

    Please select the option which describes you best...

    For the avoidance of doubt, please only proceed with this submission if you are an official representative (developer, publisher, PR) of the game.

    Please select the awards category you wish to submit your game to. To submit your game to multiple categories, this form must be filled in multiple times.

    The mental health of gamers, and the people who make games, is an important cause for Debug, which is why we have teamed up with the charity Safe in our World to celebrate games from 2024 that feature positive representations of mental health, or are useful to help gamers overcome things such as stress or anxiety. The category winner will ultimately be decided by Safe in our World ambassadors.













    Making gaming accessible for all is an important cause for Debug, which is why we have teamed up with the charity Everyone Can to celebrate how indie companies and studios have made video games more accessible to more people in 2024. The category winner will ultimately be decided by Everyone Can.














    This one is pretty self explanatory! We want to find the very best soundtrack to an indie game in 2024!













    This category is all about the sound design - we have a separate category for soundtrack. Does your game (released in 2024) have fantastic sound effects, voice acting and/or atmospherics? Then we want to hear from you!













    Does your game have amazing graphics? There's much more to a great looking game than high polygon counts. If your game looks photo realistic, is cel shaded, low-poly, pixel art, or even 1-bit, so long as the art direction is great (and it was released in 2024) we want to see it!













    Does your game have a fun gameplay loop? Are you proud of the systems you put in place to engage the player? Did your game release in 2024? Then submit your game!













    As Debug itself is based in the UK, it felt only right to introduce a category celebrating the incredible wealth of indie talent right here at home. Whether it was created by student, a solo dev, or a development team, any game created predominantly in the UK, and released within the eligibility period, will be considered!













    Narrative can mean a lot in a game. An indie doesn't have to be story-driven to weave a good narrative, so if you think your game fits this category, submit it!













    Virtual reality is growing year on year, with the release of new headsets and the introduction of mixed reality. VR gives us brand new ways to enjoy existing games, but also a whole new language with which to create new ones. Indies, as ever, are at the forefront of writing this language, and we want to celebrate the best examples of indie VR titles here!













    As Debug itself is based in the UK, it felt only right to introduce a category celebrating the incredible wealth of indie talent right here at home. Whether it was created by students, a solo dev, or a development team, any game created predominantly in the UK, and released in the eligibility period, will be considered!













    What makes something innovative or creative? Have you created a new way to play games? Have you made a game that doesn't play on a mainstream device? Have you crafted a game that has cutting edge mechanics, told a story in a creative new way, or done something way out the box with its graphics? Then we want to hear from you!














    We love physical games! We want to celebrate Indies getting physical releases, so if you have committed an indie game to disc or cart in 2024, we want to hear from you! This doesn't have to be a crazy special edition featuring a working lightsaber - even standard releases are eligible!













    This category is exclusively for free-to-play games. To be more specific, no money should change hands to play any part of this game, therefore titles with in-app purchases, loot boxes, micro-transactions, cosmetics, subscriptions etc will not be eligible. If you have a game that is absolutely free to play though, on any platform and any length, we want to hear from you!













    The Retro World Award celebrates a new game that released in 2024 for an older, unsupported platform. The game could have been ported from another system, or subsequently to another modern device, but if it's playable on a legacy system we want to know about it!













    Are you a studio that has released their very first game in 2024? Then you're eligible to submit yourself for our Best New Studio award! It doesn't matter if your studio was set up prior to 2024, you just have to have released your first game in this year.












    From social media to traditional advertising, digital and physical press kits, liaising with influencers and outlets, and more besides, a lot of work goes into getting a game seen. Whether by or in collaboration with the developer, it feels right to celebrate campaigns that have been particularly effective.





    Similar to last year’s Unsung Hero Award, the most influential person must have done something incredible in the indie scene. Whether that’s a mentor who has helped up and coming devs, an influencer who has helped spread the word, or a journalist shining a light on the scene, this person will have put a lot of hard work into the indie gaming space, and deserves recognition! If that’s you, or someone you know, get to nominating!





    One of the best ways to get the word out about your game is to work with influencers, and we want to celebrate this growing area of the industry! If you coordinated an influencer campaign for an indie game, this is the category to nominate your company for!





    Please select the awards category you wish to submit your choice to. To submit to multiple categories, this form must be filled in multiple times.

    We want to celebrate indie games that released prior to 2024, since there are so many amazing ones out there! You can nominate ANY indie game, so long as it was first released prior to 2024. This could be a hidden gem, or a well-regarded title, so long as you think it is worth peoples while to go and play. We don't want anyone to miss out on incredible indies!







    We want to celebrate indie games which aren't out yet, but have a lot of excitement surrounding them! You can nominate ANY indie game, so long as it hasn't been released yet... We don't want anyone to miss out on incredible indies!







    If you're a subscriber to Debug magazine (thank you!) then this category is just for you. Here you can submit your personal indie game of the year for 2024! Following a shortlisting process, the six nominees will then be put back to you for a final vote, meaning the winner of this award is decided by YOU!

    If you're not already a subscriber, there's still time! Only entries with a valid subscriber email will qualify, so subscribe to our awesome indie gaming magazine today and then submit your 2024 indie GOTY!





    Thank you for completing the submission form. Please enter your email address to receive updates on the Indie Game Awards.

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