Video Games Awards Eligibility & Judging

21 June 13

Find out more about which games are eligible for the Awards and how they are judged.

Entries are invited for the British Academy Games Awards from both developers and publishers.
Any game is eligible so long as it has been, or will be released in the UK between 1 January and 31 December 2013. This means both completed/published games and currently uncompleted games are eligible to be entered, so long as their release falls within those dates.
No game that has previously been entered can be re-entered into the Games Awards (this includes Late Releases only entered into two categories the previous year). However, games which have been entered for the Children’s Awards in 2013 can also be entered for these Awards.
All games released in 2013, including Late Releases, will be eligible only for the 2014 Awards. Even if they are not entered this year, they will not be eligible for the Awards in 2015.
If a game was originally released prior to the eligibility period, but has received a significant update or alteration between 1 January and 31 December 2013, it may be entered if it can be demonstrated that there are significant new levels of content and innovation. Entrants wishing to enter on this basis should consult with BAFTA.
When entering a game, there is no need to be platform-specific unless a game has been produced by separate developers/publishers for different platforms. In this case, each developer or publisher may enter their own version.

Entries can be made via the BAFTA Entry Portal.

FIRST STAGE

All entries received by 29 November will be grouped into categories and voted on by the Games-voting BAFTA members. The top ten games which have received the most votes in each category will then qualify for the next stage, which is to go to a carefully selected jury, specialising in that category.

SECOND STAGE

Any games which have not been released by 29 November will still have a chance to enter, but due to their proximity to the first stage of voting and consequent inaccessibility, they will have to be judged by the jury only. These games must be available for the jury by Friday 3 January 2014.

THE JURY

Each jury will comprise of industry practitioners across a range of developers and publishers, and will be chaired by a member of the BAFTA Games committee.
It is our aim for each jury to be balanced in age and experience, and with a track record of achievement in the field. No juror will be permitted to sit on the jury if he/she has had any direct association with a short-listed game. Chairs are also mindful of the diversity of the jury, and jurors will not be exclusively from one discipline.

After discussion, the jury will then select the nominations and winner by secret ballot.