Australian Game Developer Award 2026 Nominations Now Open
The Australian Game Developer Awards return in 2026 to celebrate the creativity, resilience, and excellence of the Australian games industry. This year’s Awards will take place on the afternoon of Wednesday, 7 October as the closing ceremony of GCAP, held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre as part of Melbourne International Games Week. Nominations for AGDAs Game Awards are now open and will close on 7 June 2026.
The AGDAs remain Australia’s premier celebration of local game development, recognising outstanding games, studios, and individuals whose work continues to gain national and international acclaim. Past AGDAs winners include titles such as The Drifter, CONSCRIPT, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, Gubbins, Cult of the Lamb, Unpacking, Moving Out, Wylde Flowers, Untitled Goose Game and The Oregon Trail, showcasing the strength and diversity of Australian-made games on the global stage.
“The best thing about the AGDAs is the recognition from your peers. Seeing my game up there on the screen in front of the amazing Aussie community is such a great feeling. It's personal - these are the people that you work and hang out with, and to have them celebrate your work is very special,” said Dave Lloyd, Powerhoof, co-developer of the 2025 AGDAs Game of the Year, The Drifter.
“Nominating your game to be a part of the AGDAs not only gets your game in front of more people, it strengthens the Aussie game dev community, adding your work to the celebration of the awesome games we make here. It's a reward for your whole team's hard work, one of the rare times you take a moment to just be proud of what you've done.”
2026 AGDAs Ceremony Details
The 2026 Awards Ceremony will be held in Plenary 1 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre at the conclusion of GCAP in a slightly revised format. This year’s event will continue as a 90-minute sit-down celebration focused on recognising and respecting the achievements and contributions of the Australian games industry. The community will have the ability to connect and celebrate both before and after the ceremony with refreshments provided.
The AGDAs will provide a dedicated celebration of the people and games that have defined the year, allowing us all to acknowledge the creativity, the skills, the perseverance, and the impact of Australian game makers.
The categories for the 2026 AGDAs are:
GAMES AWARDS
Excellence in Visual Art
Excellence in Gameplay
Excellence in Narrative
Excellence In Sound Design
Excellence in Music
Excellence in Accessibility
Excellence in Mobile
Excellence in Extended Reality
Excellence in Impact
Excellence In Ongoing
Excellence in Debut
Game of The Year
Studio of the Year
The Adam Lancman Award
The Rising Star Award
Judges, Nominees, and Game Submissions Are Now Open
Building on the success of 2025 (a record-breaking year that saw 70 games judged by 79 judges in just over eight weeks) the AGDAs judging process returns in 2026 with only minor refinements to the Judging Rubric.
Judging Applications
Submissions to join the 2026 AGDAs Judging Panel are now open and will close on 29 May 2026.
AGDAs 2026 Judges Application Form
Game Submissions
Nominations for AGDAs Game Awards are now open and will close on 7 June 2026.
Eligible games must have been released between 1 July 2025 and 31 October 2026.
AGDAs 2026 Games Nomination Form
Career, Contribution & Culture Awards
AGDAs 2026 Career & Culture Awards Nomination Form
Further information regarding the judging and assessment process can be found via our Judging Page.
Sponsorship Opportunities
The AGDAs would not be possible without the generous support of our industry partners. If you would like to support the Australian games industry, please reach out to sponsorship@igea.net to discuss the sponsorship opportunities are available.
About the AGDAs
The Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDAs) are a national event celebrating outstanding games and individual achievements by the Australian game development community.
Since 2020 The AGDAs have been run by the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) – the peak industry association representing the voice of Australian and New Zealand companies in the computer and video games industry.