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Submissions

October 16 – October 24: IndieCade Anywhere and Everywhere
Submissions for 2020 have closed

IndieCade Anywhere and Everywhere is IndieCade’s online festival for 2020. This nine day online event is built from the ground up specifically to highlight and feature games of all types, along with their creators, from around the world. Learn more about the festival HERE.

It is our objective to provide meaningful opportunities and expanded visibility for all of the creators who submit their games. See below for the list of benefits associated with your submission.

Especially in this new format, IndieCade accepts and features a wide spectrum of games and experiences including tabletop, VR, AR, Escape Rooms, Zoom Games, mobile, traditional digital games, and more — regardless of platform, style, experience, or background, and we especially encourage work-in-progress, as well as, completed projects.

Listen to some of our organizers talk about it!

2020 Submission Deadlines & Fees :

Late Submission
June 2, 2020 – through June 30, 2020 at 11:59PM PDT (GMT -7)
Rate: Regular Submission Rate (discounted) + $50

For even more submission discounts and other benefits, please consider an IndieCade Membership!       
Scholarships are also available.

Note: Submission fees are nonrefundable.


Submission Benefits

What you get for Submitting:

  • All entries are reviewed by our jury and considered for the chosen events.
  • All team members receive complimentary invitations to attend the Festival’s Developer Summit (IndieXchange). Note: This is a far better benefit this year since in previous years you had to be in Los Angeles!
  • Opportunity to participate in our signature GameTasting (show-and-tell). Note: This is a first-come/ first-serve opportunity.
  • Members: Along with other benefits, members may also opt to receive written or personal feedback on your game submission. (You can find more information about membership HERE).

What you get if you are Selected:

  • All selections are eligible for IndieCade’s Awards. (A full description of the awards can be found HERE)
  • All selections will receive an official Nominee IndieCade Seal.
  • VIP passes for your full team to all events for which you are selected, including access to the Awards.
  • All selections will be featured and highlighted throughout the week to the entirety of the IndieCade audience and participants via an amplified web presence, direct media promotion, curated narrations, and more.
  • All selections will be receive PR game promotion, including pre and post event releases and media outreach, on-site PR, and award winners will be included in a digital press conference activity.
  • All selections will be promoted, featured, mentioned, via IndieCade’s social, traditional, and on-line channels including a game profile on IndieCade’s website and official wiki, and IndieCade’s far-reaching newsletter.
  • Team members from all selections will be immediately entered into the Festival Developer Summit (IndieXchange), including developer networking.
  • Selection teams will have the opportunity to request from a menu of specific customized meetings with (as available) various funders, publishers, partners, play testers, and more.
  • Additional benefits: Opportunity to showcase at the in-person events for IndieCade Festival in Paris/Europe and Santa Monica/ US for no additional materials fees, should those events take place this year. This includes badges for the team, appropriate booth space, standard furniture (tables/chairs), and electrical.

For any submissions related questions email us at games@indiecade.com 


The Jurying Process:
All submissions are reviewed by a diverse jury of leaders from the games industry, academia, fine arts, and indie development for placement & award nominations at IndieCade Festival. You can learn all about how how jurying process works HERE.

More Events:
All games submitted are eligible to be selected for any of our Alumni, Annex, and other showcases and events throughout the year.  IndieCade staff always ask for permission before showcasing a game. 

Not sure if IndieCade is for you? IndieCade alumni talk about their experiences: https://youtu.be/SW2AHYLrvsM


Frequently Asked Questions

Fee Assistance

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.

Do we still get written feedback for our submissions?

Due to the large increase in volume of submissions over the past years, we can no longer accommodate written feedback for all submissions at the quality level we feel is ideal. We are now providing feedback via our membership program. For more information see our MEMBERSHIP PAGE.

May I update my application once submitted?

No, you cannot edit your application form once it has been submitted. There is some leniency if your form has broken download links or expired coupon codes, and IndieCade staff will contact you if your entry has such. Additionally, should you be selected to showcase at any of our events, you are more than welcome to bring an updated build and provide new materials for media (screenshots, videos, copy, etc.).

If you are concerned about a bug in your submission or have made a major technical advance that may assist in the jurying of your game you may email games@indiecade.com for consideration for updating your build, but there are no guarantees of accommodation of said build due to the fast nature of the jurying process.

Who reviews the IndieCade submissions?

IndieCade has a rigorous jury process based on standard academic review practices. Multiple rounds of review occur, engaging both the JURY COMMITTEE and the general JUROR pool. It is key that the DOCUMENTATION in your submission is as thorough as you can make it, as this will be what is reviewed by the first round of the jury process.

We guarantee that every game is reviewed by a jury committee member in the first round, as well as being assigned to the general juror pool for play. Some entries then go on to be further assigned to a review/ super juror who provides an additional review for that submission.

Can I enter more than one project?

Absolutely! You may enter as many as you like. However, each work requires its own submission information in order to be juried as its own game. (Note: you will need to pay separately for each entry you submit.)

If you have a series of short games, you may submit those as one entry, but realize they will also be reviewed as a single entry.

Do you have prizes?

Each IndieCade Award-winning game receives a handmade, one-of-a-kind trophy specifically designed for each awardee. IndieCade does not provide traditional prizes or cash for award winners. That said, accepted Finalists and Official Selections do receive a number of added benefits, including two VIP Passes to the event in which they are exhibiting, access to private IndieCade social events, features and promotions across our website and social media, passes to our IndieXchange pre-Festival developer summit, use of a display booth at the selected event, and inclusion in all press releases, publicity work, and more. Additionally IndieCade provides an in-house publicist and premiere opportunities for all of our events.

What if my submission is a tabletop or other non-digital game?

We are very accustomed to tabletop games (and all kinds of games with unique physical materials). For the initial process of the submission you simply need to fill out the form and it will ask for a lot of documentation. If you need to mail the game our Games Manager will reach out to you to coordinate that delivery. In the meantime we do not need to have that in our hands for your submission to be complete.

We also understand that games with physical materials can be difficult or expensive to send to us, particularly if they are prototypes. In such cases your entry may be reviewed ONLY on the DOCUMENTATION in your submission form if needed.

What if my submission is installation, location, or event based?

Our evaluation system has a feature that allows you to include events and venues where your submission has been or will be shown. This will enable us to match your entry with jurors who have attended, or will attend, these events or venues and have played it in its full form. We may also ask you to stage a session of your entry, bring your entry to one of our special jurying sessions, or provide instructions and/or materials for jurors to run a session themselves.

Please note that in some cases, such as event-based or installation works, your entry may be reviewed ONLY on the DOCUMENTATION in your submission form if we cannot find suitable jurors in the area.

What if my game’s platform isn’t listed in the submission form?

We welcome and encourage all games on all platforms. If your platform isn’t listed on page 7 (Submission Format) of the submission form, under “Hardware Requirements”, then we ask you to write it in at the bottom of page 8 (Access Information) under “Other Access Information”.

What kinds of video documentation are useful in the jurying process?

Please provide video documentation of your submission in action. We suggest no longer than 10 minutes. The best videos include a silent playthrough, or playthrough with the creator(s) talking through the design process while the entry is played. We would like to stress the kind of videos that are NOT useful here. Please do NOT use Let’s Play Youtube style video documentation in your submission. It is too hard for the jurors to decipher what is going on and they cannot get a clear sense of your game from this kind of documentation. We also do NOT encourage a video taped reading of the rules for a game (such as the text of instructions for a table game.

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Alumni Signup

Are you an IndieCade Alumnus? We want to know! If you've been a speaker, organizer, juror, or presented your game at IndieCade or any IndieCade-related showcase (ex. IndieCade @ E3, IndieCade @ SIGGRAPH, etc. - doesn't need to have been a finalist) we'd like to be in touch.

https://www.indiecade.com/alumni-signup/