Pollucean, developed by students of FH St. Pölten, has been selected as winner of the third Austrian Talent Award. The award ceremony took place at Level Up in Salzburg on June 29th 2025.

For the 3rd time the PGDA Talent Award celebrates astonishing projects created by talented young developers for their graduation. All submitted games are a manifest of the outstanding education quality in all districts throughout Austria, reflecting the internationally established as well as acclaimed curricula for games. The award praises the young team’s skills and creativity and helps promising game developers to get started in the games industry.

Out of impressive 20 submissions from teams all over Austria, 3 games were shortlisted, out of which Pollucean emerged as winner.

About Pollucean

Pollucean is a storydriven 2D adventure game with automation and management elements. The game is set in a world where the pollution of the oceans has taken over and most aquatic inhabitants have gone missing. A marine biologist called “Dash” has taken it upon themselves to clean the oceans and uncover the true origin of the trash. Pollucean combines underwater adventures like “Dave the Diver” with automation experiences such as “Factorio”. Each day, your goal is to collect as much trash as possible on your chosen dive spot.

After a successful trip, you need to manage your collected trash and decide to either sell or recycle it. Selling trash earns you money which you need to pay your daily expenses. Recycling on the other hand cleans the seas. To properly recycle, you will have to build your own recycling factory to convert trash into valuable materials. Any converted materials can then be used to further improve your equipment, unlock different tools and upgrade your factory.

An overview of all projects including links to trailers can be found here.

As part of their well-deserved win, the Pollucean team receives a booth at gamescom in Cologne, along with a valuable mentorship program. This achievement not only brings recognition but also opens doors to new opportunities and industry connections for the FH St. Pölten students.

The PGDA extends its thanks to the international jury for their expertise and dedication in evaluating the submissions. Additionally, appreciation is given to all the teams that submitted their games, showcasing their creativity and passion for game development.

Congratulations to the winner team! See you in Cologne 🙂

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