Submissions for the DevGAMM Awards 2026 are now open. Sponsored by Scorewarrior, the annual competition focused on small studios and independent developers returns following its 2024 revamp, continuing its mission of spotlighting creative projects from the global indie scene.

This year’s edition will feature a total prize pool of $100,000 distributed across 12 main categories, along with an additional $33,000 reserved for sponsored awards. Highlights include the traditional Grand Prize, which will award $20,000 to the winner, alongside categories such as Excellence in Game Design and Best Game from Portugal. The organizers have also introduced new categories, including Best Game in Early Development, Best Small Team Game, and Meaningful Game.

The core rules remain similar to previous editions. Only teams with fewer than 50 members will be eligible to participate, while submitted titles must either be unreleased or launched no earlier than September 7, 2025.

Sponsored categories will feature prizes provided by companies such as Epic Games, Unity, tinyBuild, as well as the platform Epic Games Store, with additional partners expected to be announced in the coming months.

According to the organizers, around 150 industry experts are expected to join the judging panel responsible for selecting nominees and winners across the main categories. The initiative aims to further expand the visibility of independent projects at different stages of development.

Submissions will remain open until September 7. The final ceremony will once again take place during the DevGAMM Conference, scheduled for November 18 in Lisbon.