German Developer Award 2019: Submissions Are Open

The German Developer Award 2019 opened its submission process for the Ubisoft Newcomer Award, specifically targeting students and start-up entities within the German games industry. The primary objective of this initiative is to foster emerging talent by providing professional development opportunities and industry exposure. The call for entries, which officially launched on July 24, 2019, set a submission deadline of September 25, 2019, with no associated entry fees for participants.

The competition is divided into two distinct categories: students and start-ups. Winners in the student category are awarded a mentoring workshop in Düsseldorf, Berlin, or Mainz, alongside an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience at Ubisoft. Start-up winners receive an eight-month placement in the SpielFabrique acceleration program, which includes comprehensive mentoring and expert support. Additionally, the winning start-up team is granted a booth at the Indie Arena Booth during gamescom 2020 to showcase their product or technology.

This program serves as a critical bridge between academic or early-stage development and the professional gaming market. By leveraging partnerships with established industry players like Ubisoft, the award facilitates networking and skill acquisition for developers at the beginning of their careers. The announcement also noted that the submission window for the remaining categories of the broader German Developer Award was scheduled to commence in late July 2019.