PGDA calls for the 4th edition of the Austrian-wide Talent Award!

The Austrian game development association is proud to announce the 4edition of the Austrian Talent Award. We are delighted by the success of this initiative so far and how quickly it became a well-established Institution in our local developer landscape.

Since its foundation the essential objective for PGDA is strengthening the educational efforts in Austria and to encourage young talent getting started in the games industry. The goal for this award is to cherish the outstanding quality in game curricula across Austria, visible through the astonishing projects created by highly skilled students for their graduation. Basically, PGDA wants to recognize and celebrate the outstanding work done by schools that have established internationally acclaimed curricula for games, putting a spotlight on their long-lasting achievements. A big thank you for that!

The increased visibility resulting from this award helps students to potentially commercialize their projects and explore entrepreneurial opportunities, such as forming a company around their first game. Taking inspiration from many successful predecessors and best practices from various universities and schools, this initiative showcases Austria’s thriving game development industry and raises awareness among decision-makers.  

Road to the award

Based on the success of the Talent Award in previous years, PGDA is happy to see that many schools integrated the award in their curriculum hence it became almost natural for students to prepare an award submission during summer semester. Therefore, this is not a call to action, but a reminder and information outreach to communicate the organizational framework for this year’s edition.

• Submission period starts: February 2nd, 2026
• Submission Deadline: April 5th, 2026 – 23:59
• Jury Evaluation period: April 6th – May 3rd, 2026
• Shortlist announcement: May 4th, 2026
• Level Up – The Gaming Festival: May 23rd – 24th, 2026

Like in previous years a jury consisting of game industry professionals will assess all applications based on the criteria listed in the terms & conditions. Based on these criteria the jury will create a shortlist of 3 projects that are invited to present their games at a booth (one for each project) at Level Up – The Gaming Festival in Salzburg in June 2025.

Updated timeline

Please notice that compared to the previous awards the timeline has shifted to an earlier period. The submission deadline is roughly one month earlier than in past years!

Award Ceremony Level Up Festival July 2025

Award Ceremony

There are a lot of good reasons to participate in this award. In addition to the chance to present your game for free (besides travel & accommodation costs) at Level Up – The Gaming Festival and the increased visibility, PGDA, in collaboration with FH Salzburg, who hosts the Indie Games Area, offer the following prizes:

• The winner gets a booth at gamescom in Cologne in August 2025.
• The winning team gets a 6-month mentoring program supported by established studios and local senior developers across all disciplines.

These prizes will help you shape your project and take the first steps in a possible commercial future.

Booth at Austrian gamescom group stand 2024

PGDA is proud of the scene we have in Austria and the knowledge as well as experience that is available. Like last year an international jury consisting of Austrian professionals working abroad will judge the submitted projects.

Terms and Conditions

As follows a brief overview of what is mandatory to submit your project:

• You need to actively study at a school or university in WS 2024 & SS 2025
• Provide a playable build
• Submit a Pitch Deck
• Provide a Trailer & Screenshots
• Provide a video showing pure gameplay with a maximum duration of five (5) minutes.
• Cover picture (aka packshot or steam capsule) – vertical 600×900
• Hand in a PR Factsheet

Or read the full Terms & Conditions!

Thanks for your attention and stay tuned for more information to come soon!

Made possible by