Nordic Game Discovery Contest Season IV ​

Building on fifteen years of organising successful games industry activities, including the annual Nordic Game conference and exhibition, regional funding programs, overseas networking events and other developer support initiatives, the Nordic Game Discovery Contest (NGDC) was introduced in 2016 - an exciting, competitive challenge where selected game projects are showcased live in pitch competitions at partner events across the world.
Now in its fourth season, it’ll be introduced a new and unique contest format - instead of just pitching a game the traditional way, contestants compete live onstage in an entertaining round-based battle for points. Submit your game right here:

Submit your game here

Deadline is June 6th!

CONTEST FORMAT & RULES

A) The contestants chosen through the submission process will meet on-stage in a live contest, divided in to the following rounds:

Intro Round: Each contestant has to present themselves and their game.

Game Round: Each contestant has to answer questions from the judges about the presented game. These can be technical, about the gameplay, or even personal. 
Examples: 
i. “What is most unique about your game”? 
ii. “What are you inspired by”? 
iii. “What part of yourself has been put into the game”?

Reality Round: Contestants answer questions about the realities surrounding the game. These can be about economics, but also personal about yourself and your team. 
Examples: 
i. “What is your goal as a team?” (objective), 
ii. “Why did you form the studio in the first place”? (slightly personal)
iii. “What are your biggest dreams for your studio?” (very personal)

Final Chance Round: Contestants show a final piece of material in a last effort to sway the judges. Any material (pre-prepared) may be shown on screen (images, videos, GIF, screen dumps etc.) after which the audience is asked to cheer.

B) After each round, the judges will give points to the contestant who made the best impression. After the final round, a winner is found and celebrated.

C) As part of entering the competition contestants have to submit the following material via the submission form: 

• Game logo - A postcard format logo. Used in presentation and on printed voting cards.
• “Behind the scenes” video - A 30-second mobile phone camera “studio tour” (e.g. walk through studio and wave at people, filming interesting stuff while talking).
• Game Trailer - A 1 minute trailer showing in-game footage from the game in development.
• "Final Chance” Material - One (1) piece of material (gif, video, screenshots, art etc.) used for showcasing the game in the final round, and a last chance of swaying the judges. Maximum length 30 seconds.

Important notes
The judges will look at the material submitted by the contestants, so be sure that you cover the basics such as: What’s the concept or purpose of the game? Which features make your game unique? What’s your game’s business model, and why? 

Also make sure to deliver all the basic, “hard facts” about your game, like format, present development state, control method, USP etc.

On-stage, the judges will look at your stage performance, how you present your game, and they will ask you questions based on the material submitted

APPLICATION

To apply, complete the following application form and send it to us at Nordic Game:

click here to apply

Deadline is June 6th​

A) The application form must be used and submitted in English.
B) No parts of the form may be removed or reformatted.
C) The application must be submitted to Nordic Game before the given deadline.
D) The applicant must own or control the intellectual property rights to the game submitted.
E) You will receive a confirmation email one week prior to the event if you’ve made the cut.

Important notes:
Games on any platform, developed by any company or single person can participate, but:

Only one person can go on stage and participate in the contest.
You must have a working demo of your game to show.
No illegal or plagiarized content in your game (such as trademarked content, etc.).
Your company must be financially stable (no threat of liquidation or bankruptcy exists).

All submitted projects will be reviewed. The selected projects will be informed directly in the weeks following the application deadline, including further instructions regarding the event.

Good luck

NGDC BACKGROUND

Structure​

NGDC partners with regional games industry events across Europe (and abroad) throughout the year to discover the most promising games with the best potential for becoming global hits. These “qualifying round” winners go on to compete for “Game of the Year” in the NGDC Finals at the Nordic Game conference, next year in May in Malmö, Sweden.​

Developers, why should you participate?​

With thousands of new titles released each year, the competition to get noticed is fiercer than ever. Joining the NGDC gives you a shot at getting your game discovered. Just by submitting your game to the contest, a string of experts - publishers, investors, journalists, prominent game designers and other industry profiles - will see your work. Should your team be chosen to pitch live on-stage, you’ll be sure to attract the attention of industry professionals in the audience as well.

In both the NGDC qualifiers and finals, you’ll pitch your game to an expert jury on stage before a live audience. In an exciting, and new for NGDC Season IV, round-based format, you will compete live against three other contestants, presenting your game and answering questions from the jury. If you can beat your opponents and rack-up the biggest score, you'll be declared the winner of the qualifying round - and go on to the NGDC Finals at NG20 next May. If you take the final “Game of the Year” award in Malmö, you’ll also win some nice prizes and extend your visibility globally.​

Wildcards

For developers not able to join events on the NGDC tour, a number of wildcards will once again be chosen through an online submission process (details for NGDC Season IV to be announced).​

Venue 

Qualifiers: At NGDC partner events across the world
Grand Finals (NGDC Season IV): Nordic Game 2020, May in Malmö, Sweden

Participation

Are you developing, or have you already developed a game that deserves more attention than it’s received so far? Are you attending one of the events on the NGDC Tour? If so, submit your game, and prepare to go on stage for a qualifying round - and maybe all the way to the NGDC Finals!

Benefits

• Get your game discovered
  
• As a finalist, a shot at some great prizes
  
• Meet potential partners and investors among the companies following the contest
  
• 2 full conference passes for NG19
  
• Unlimited access to the NG19 MeetToMatch system
  
• A complimentary table in the NGDC Season III Finalists Expo at NG19 (22-24 May)