Bilbao Indie Games Contest
International Awards 2024 Rules

The Bilbao International Games Conference presents a new edition of the international event ‘Bilbao Indie Game Contest’, formerly FS Play. The goal of this contest is to showcase and promote independent games which have originality, creativity, and innovation at its core.

The BIG Indie Contest opens this international call with the following rules:

RULES

1. Goal

The BIG Indie Contest aims to acknowledge, reward, and boost creative and innovative game creators by providing them with economical support and public visibility.

2. Requisites for candidates

Any person, group of persons, organization or company that fulfills the following requisites can enter in the BIG Indie Contest: 

2.1 The BIG Indie Contest will accept candidates from the European Union, countries within the Schengen space, and the United Kingdom. 
2.2 Candidates must have full legal rights over the game they present, including licensing rights, exploitation rights, intellectual and industrial property, etc.
2.2.1 Should the candidate not have full legal rights over the game (for instance, because they have been fully or partially waived to a third party, such as a publisher), they will need full authorization from the owner of said legal rights to participate in the contest.
2.1 The game must have been published or finished its development after December 16th 2023.

2.2 The game must be fully playable. No videos, trailers, alpha/beta versions or hands-off demos will be accepted.
2.3 Topic and genre are free.
2.4 The game can be presented on any of the following platforms:
2.4.1 Personal computers
2.4.2 Market-available consoles (PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch)
2.4.3 Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets
2.5 Candidates must be independent game developers or game studios. In the case of doubt, the organization keeps the right to decide whether a particular game is admitted.

3. Phases of the contest

3.1 Candidates will apply only through this online form: https://bit.ly/bigcontest2024
3. 2 Deadline for application will be October 31st, 2024 at 23.59 (GMT +2). Games presented after this date won’t be accepted.
3.3 After the application process ends, the Organization will pick a shortlist of approximately 5 finalists.
3.4 Finalists must send a video, pitching their game to the jury and audience of the BIG Conference, with a maximum length of 5 minutes. Format and content of said video is completely up to the game developer or studio. The videos will be broadcast in a livestream by the Organization (format and dates to be determined by the organization). 

3.5 The winner will attend the BIG Conference to present their game as part of the official schedule of talks, with flight, accommodation, and food costs covered by the Organization for 1 person. 

3.6 The winner will showcase their game in the showcase area of the BIG Conference. The costs of the stand will be covered by the Organization. 

3.7 The winner will receive their trophy during the Titanium Awards gala (Dec 6th).

4. Selection process

4.1 The Big Contest jury will be appointed by the Organization. It will comprise professionals from the video games industry with extensive experience.
4.2 The jury may not declare a winner if they consider that none of the contestants adhere to the quality and innovation standards of the prize.
4.3 Jury members can’t have any family ties with the contestants, as well as any conflicts of interest, economics, or of any other nature with any submitted game.
4.4 The jury will freely make their decision without any interference from the BIG Conference board of directors.
4.5 The jury will take into consideration values such as innovation, originality, and art quality, considering the following points:
4.5.1 Game design: innovative and original game mechanics, control schemes, and level design as well as its implementation and the user experience.
4.5.2 Narrative design: innovation in interactive storytelling, the artistic quality of its texts (including script, dialogues, world building), and how they’re tied to the game’s mechanics.
4.5.3 Art design: Innovation and artistic quality both visually and its interaction with the game’s mechanics
4.5.4 Audio & music:  Innovation and artistic quality both in the audio area and its interaction with the game’s mechanics.

5. Awards

5.1 The BIG Contest will award €4,000 to the best indie game.

5.2 Winner will also be invited as a speaker of the BIG Conference, with travel and accommodation costs covered by the Organization.