Overview

The Gamebridge Student Games Festival is a free, live-event happening on Saturday 27th June 2026 in Cambridge, UK. It has been designed to highlight the best work created by students/graduates from across the country, as well as supporting all attendees in their journey towards a career in the games industry through talks, recruitment booths, bookable 1-to-1s with industry, and other networking opportunities.

The heart of this event is the Showcase, a way to recognize and reward students who have worked hard to produce amazing work, that enriches our lives by challenging and entertaining us. This page has been setup as the submission system to request a place at the Showcase.

Gamebridge Awards

Teams or individuals whose work is at the Showcase may also be eligible for one of the Gamebridge Awards, with cash prizes up for grabs for winning submissions. This year we have the following award categories where the industry judges are looking for outstanding team created games as well as individual work that showcases excellence in the areas of art, design, and technical ability. Eligible work will automatically by entered into the relevant categories, that currently include:

• Team Awards Best Team Project
• Individual Excellence Awards Design ExcellenceTechnical Excellence2D Art Excellence3D Character Excellence3D Environment Excellence

Please submit even if you feel that your work doesn't fit into these categories, such as 3D Vehicles or Game Animations, as there is still a People Choice Award that can be won and the opportunity to have work viewed by games industry professionals.

Gamebridge Pitching Competition

Teams or individuals submitting Games, Game Prototypes, or Technical Demos to the Showcase can also request to be a part of the Gamebridge Pitching Competition. If selected you will have the opportunity to pitch your work to a panel of industry professionals who will give you feedback on taking your work from student piece to commercial product. At the end of the day one piece of work will be chosen as the winner and get a prize package from the games industry to take your product to the next level.

Your Eligibility

To be eligible for your work to be showcased you:

• Must be at least 17 years old on the day of the event (Saturday 27th June 2026)
• Must fall into one of these categories: Currently engaging with Further Education (i.e. Sixth Form, College) in the United KingdomCurrently engaging with Higher Education (i.e. University) in the United KingdomHave attended a Further/Higher Education institution in the United Kingdom
• Must be able to attend the Gamebridge event in Cambridge on Saturday 27th June 2026 Specifically between 10am and 5pm (can be 12pm-5pm if you are coming from a long way away)For those that require it, a travel bursary can be applied for
• Must not be currently employed within the games industry*. This includes: Those working for a games company in a full or part time capacityThose currently on a placement year at a games companyThose who have gone indie and formed a recognised business such as sole trader, partnership, ltd etc
• We understand that some members of a team project may have secured employment. If they have, please submit anyway and we will contact you to discuss this criteria with you.

Work Eligibility

To be eligible for the showcase, all work:

• Must have been created after July 1st 2024 by either: YourselfOr by a team, if you are submitting a game,game prototype, or technical demo
• Must fall into one of these categories: A game / game prototype / technical demoMust be for either PC (Windows) / Mobile (Android) / VR (Quest)Must run locally, as unfortunately no internet access will be available for showcased workA piece of game artAny 3D work, such as an environment (with fly through) or character (on turn table)For 2D work must be either concept art or series of game assetsAll must be original video game related art and not fan art
• Must be showcased: Within a self contained executable (i.e. build from a game engine) in the format:Windows (.exe)Android / Quest (.apk)Or for 3D art can be in a video format such as mpgOr for 2D art as an image file(s) in suitable lossless format such as png
• Importantly, the work: Must not be AI generated workMust not have been sold as a commercial piece of workMust not have been been submitted as an entry to a previous Gamebridge eventMust not contain nudity, or hateful language / visuals. No submissions that are NSFW

Showcase Places

The process for gaining a place at the showcase is as follows:

1. Once the itch.io jam (see date above) has closed, a panel will start to review all work submitted. Work that meets the quality requirements of the event (as determined at the discretion of the panel) will be emailed soon after and offered a place at the showcase.
2. For work that runs on mobile / VR we aim to provide appropriate devices, and our team will contact you closer to the time to discuss. For all other work Windows PCs will be provided and your submission will be preloaded onto it.
3. To attend the showcase you will need to register for one of the free event tickets. These will be available through our website:www.gamebridge.uk (http://www.gamebridge.uk/). For team submissions, each member of the team wanting to attend will need to register for their own ticket.
4. Those that do not receive a showcase place can still show their work to industry through 1-to-1s and other networking opportunities.

Judging & Prizes

1. At the Gamebridge event onSaturday 27th June, 2026, industry judges will view the work that is being showcased and decide upon winners and runners up if applicable. With all awards and competitions being decided at the discretion of our industry judges.
2. Winners will be announced, and prizes/trophies given, at the end of the day (approx. 4pm).

Submitting Work

• If you do not already have one, you will need a free itch.io account (https://itch.io/register).
• Then you will need a new itch.io project (https://itch.io/game/new) for each piece of work you wish to submit. The 'Title' of your work should be appropriate to the piece and not just something like 'gamebridge submission'.'Pricing' must be set as $0 or free, otherwise the panel will not be able to access your work.'Visibility & access' must be set as 'Public' for the same reason as above.To hide the work from others, select 'Configure settings' beside the 'Public' option and set page as 'Unlisted in search & browse'.Include an appropriate cover image.The 'Details' section is optional but is a nice place to give some details to the judges on your project and it's background. Importantly, if you are submitting a game / prototype this is the place to include additional instructions and solutions to puzzles.For the 'Uploads' section:For 2D Artwork you can ignore this section.For Android or Quest submissions we are looking for a .apk file.For 3D Artwork you can choose to submit a fly through or turntable in a video format such as mpgFor all other submissions we are looking for a self contained executable (.exe) for Windows. For 3D Environments this should be a fly through and/or playable experience and for 3D Characters this should be the character on a turntable.For the 'Screenshots' section:For 3D Environments/Characters, as well as an in-engine build please include a series of high resolution renders of your work and UV Map/Texture Map/Wireframe renders as appropriate. Maximum of 20 images.For 2D artwork please include the final piece(s). Ideally also include sketches and other images that show your workflow. Maximum of 15 images.For all other submissions the screenshots are optional.
• When ready to submit your work, click on theJoin Jambutton (at the top of the page) to start your participation.
• Then press theSubmit your projectbutton to select the itch project you are submitting for the competition. For team projects, only one member of the team should join the jam / submit the project.
• All elements of the submission form must be completed.
• All submissions must be submitted before the itch.io jam closes (see date above).

Updates and Changes

Gamebridge representativesreserve the rightto change, modify, and or update the rules, regulations, and guidelines connected to this competition at any time and without notification.

FAQ

Question:\_Where can I find information about the Gamebridge event itself?\_

Answer: Details of the event can be found on our website atwww.gamebridge.uk (http://www.gamebridge.uk/).

Question:\_Can I submit more than 1 piece of work?\_

Answer: Yes. Please submit any work that you feel represents your best work.

Question: Can I showcase more than 1 piece of work?

Answer: Yes. If accepted you can showcase multiple individual pieces of work / team projects.

Question: Can my team showcase more than 1 piece of work?

Answer: Yes. If a team, or some of the same members, are chosen to showcase multiple pieces of work they can. But each chosen piece will need a different person attending to stand with their work.

Question: Can I make updates to my submission?

Answer: You can make updates to your work after it's been submitted, and as long as it's the same basic piece of work.

Question: What equipment will my work be showcased upon?

Answer: For work that runs on mobile / VR we aim to provide appropriate devices, and our team will contact you closer to the time to discuss. For all other work Windows PCs will be provided and your submission will be preloaded onto it.

Question: I have other questions, how can I contact you?

Answer: Please reach out using the link below.

Contact Us

If you have any questions please contact us through our eventbrite page:gamebridgeuk.eventbrite.com (http://gamebridgeuk.eventbrite.com/)

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