For 2021, you can apply to IndieCade Anywhere and Everywhere, our online Festival.
We offer submission fee assistance to a limited number of developers and creators in need of financial assistance - click HERE to learn more.
2021 Submission Deadlines:
IndieCade is an independent organization and our ultimate goal is to bring the eye of the industry & general public to your submission. All submission fees directly cover the costs associated with processing your submission and showcasing selected games.
Entries submitted to IndieCade by the listed deadlines receive the following benefits:
Please also note that we do not guarantee that all games will be played, however at the very least - all games will be reviewed very carefully on their documentation. To learn more about documentation, please go HERE.
In addition to the general benefits for submitting a game LISTED ABOVE, if you are accepted as a Finalist at IndieCade Festival or IndieCade Europe you will also receive:
IndieCade welcomes work from across all genres and mediums, be they digital, tabletop, big and/or physical, performative, competitive, cooperative, experimental, experiential, or hybrids thereof. From works-in-progress to fully completed and/or released works on traditional platforms, on new platforms or on something from beyond our expectations - IndieCade welcomes innovation of all forms.
Independent Games, as defined by IndieCade, are works that receive funding via their own developers, private investors, crowdsourcing, grants, internal studio funding, or association with a university, school, or nonprofit institution. Submissions may be published or unpublished, but their development may not be fully funded by a publisher. Partial funding, marketing help, etc. are valid ways to have a relationship with a publisher while still being eligible for IndieCade. If you need assistance in determining your project's eligibility status, please email games@indiecade.com - we will be happy to help you figure it out.
Previous submissions to, or inclusion in, other festivals does not prevent eligibility in any way. Works which were previously submitted to IndieCade may be re-submitted provided they:
Disqualified games are eligible for resubmission provided all other submission requirements, including the above, have been met.
IndieCade has an inclusive submissions policy and invites entries of all game styles and genres to apply - including PC, console, browser-based, casual, puzzle, mobile, alternate-reality, big / physical games, installation-based games, mods (provided they conform to game engine licensing agreements), serious games, documentary games, activist games, art games, virtual worlds, "sandbox" games, and more!
We welcome submissions developed by individuals, small teams, large teams, artists, students, universities and schools, non-profit organizations and beyond. We also strongly encourage submissions from diverse creators of any nationality, ethnicity, culture, gender, orientation, age, or experience range. Diversity is encouraged. Innovation is celebrated. In order to help with this, we have a needs-based financial assistance you can apply to HERE. Staff will review your application and may decide to grant a coupon which you can use on the last page of the submission form and will discount the submission fee.
Discounts vary based off of individual circumstances. If you have applied to the financial assistance program, we recommend that you finish filling out your submission but wait to hear back on your financial assistance before paying and officially completing your submission. This assistance is ONLY for the submission fee and NOT travel assistance should you be selected to showcase at an event.
Works-in-progress are permitted and encouraged, but make sure that you do not have any bugs that would prevent reviewers from assessing the work or progressing through your submission.
All game content and copyrighted material must be fully owned by the designers / developers of the entry; if outside material is used, legal permission must be secured or your game will be disqualified.
If you plan to submit a work that is on a non-standard game operating system (e.g. Atari, custom hardware), please plan to submit review hardware or host a scheduled evaluation of your entry. If your non-standard entry is chosen as a Finalist, also plan to have a representative on-site during your designated event to be responsible for installation, or to supply hardware with the game fully installed. If your submission can not be reviewed or displayed, it will be DISQUALIFIED.
Step 1 - Complete the Online Entry Form
Complete the online entry form and be sure to include the following information:
Step 2 - Submit the Online Entry Form and Pay for Your Entry Processing
At the end of the submission form, you will select the event(s) you are applying for, submit your completed online application, and pay the submission processing fee. If you are interested in the IndieCade Submission Fee Assistance program, you must apply and wait for your acceptance notice before you submit your entry. More information about the Submission Fee Assistance can be found HERE.
IMPORTANT: Only completed, paid submissions will be considered. Be sure to complete and pay for your application prior to your submission period deadline. Unpaid submissions will not be marked as complete and will not be eligible for review or inclusion at any IndieCade events.
Unlike prior years, please note that you will not be able to edit your submission application once you have pressed the submit button and paid your fees. There is some leniency in the case of broken links or expired download codes, and IndieCade staff will contact you if your submission form has such. If you are selected to showcase, you will have the opportunity to update information that will appear on the website and promotional materials, as well as show your latest work or build.
Step 3 - How We Review Your Work
The most important part of your submission is your DOCUMENTATION and not necessarily the build of your game. Documentation is important in deciding how your entry is reviewed. All entries must provide a working build of their game along with their online application. How one does so depends on the type of submission.
IndieCade reserves the right to disqualify entries if any of the submission requirements are not met. Disqualified entries will not receive a submission refund. Grounds for disqualification are:
Please note, although we cannot guarantee that a submission is played in the first round of jurying, it is often true that the juror will do their utmost to play the game as well as review documentation and so access to this is important. It is almost always true that jurors play the submissions in subsequent rounds of review.
Please also note that we do not refund fees for games that are disqualified.
IndieCade is a small, independently-run organization which relies on submission fees to maintain and administer our jurying process. However, we do provide full and reduced submission fee assistance to developers who would not otherwise be able to afford our submission fees. We are also delighted to receive contributions to this scholarship fund. Learn more about the program and how to apply HERE. Please note that the scholarships are only for the submissions processing fee and not for any related travel or expenses.
IndieCade is an independent organization and we rely on submission processing fees to support the following: