The objective of the sixth edition of the Indie Games Awards is to promote talent and entrepreneurship in the indie video game sector, video games developed by small groups of individuals or small companies, and reward their contribution to the advancement of the industry, creating new ways of play that typically revolve around new and disruptive ideas.

3.1. The categories presented in this sixth edition are as follows:

3.1.1. Best Indie Game 2024.

3.1.2. Best Indie Game for Mobile Devices.

3.1.3. Best Indie Game for PC/Console.

3.1.4. Best Accessible Indie Game.

For the games opting for the Best Accessible Indie Game, the evaluation criteria will include, in addition to those indicated in clause two, the following:

• Any idea submitted to the competition under the accessibility category must naturally incorporate the theme of disability. This may involve fulfilling one or several of the following points:

• Conceptually: Narrative, script, characters featuring with some type of disability.
• Mechanics that include some software accessibility measures that align with the idea: Gameplay, specific level design, control customization, peripherals definition, and accessibility settings.
• Marketing and promotion: Social media campaigns, documentary accessibility, website accessibility, etc.

• It is recommended that games include multidisciplinary profiles as much as possible, so they are capable of adequately incorporating disability and accessibility in each section of the video game (design, implementation, testing, etc.), including, if possible, people with disabilities for the evaluation of its accessibility.

• In this category, only video games that include one or more accessibility measures for one or more functional performance profiles should be submitted; it is not mandatory to cover all profiles. Functional performance profiles can be found in the UNE-EN 301549 standard.
• On the website of the VI Indie Games Awards, https://www.premiosindies.com/, a guide on disability and accessibility prepared by Fundación ONCE technicians is published.

3.1.5. Best Indie Tech-XR Game.

3.1.6. Best Indie Narrative Game.

For the Best Indie Narrative Game category, the applications received should be framed as a graphic novel, narrative game, interactive story, or similar.

By narrative game, we understand interactive digital content that includes texts on the screen, characters, scenarios, and sounds, with the idea of telling a story, whether linear or non-linear. Narrative games can be purely narrative experiences or can also include game mechanics, such as puzzles, mini-games, or collectibles, among others.

3.1.7. Best Indie Plus Game.

The video games opting for the Best Indie Plus Game category must meet the following requirements:

• The development team/person(s) must have their domicile or headquarters in Spain (indicated in the application form).
• They must comply with the requirements established in these rules, as well as the other participation requirements, excluding those related to the condition of an indie studio. Therefore, game development studios that, while small businesses, do not meet the maximum requirements for annual revenue and number of employees, may apply to this category.
• In the Best Indie Plus Game category, a unique game will be evaluated, without distinction between PC/Console, Mobile Devices, Tech-XR, Narrative, or Accessibility.

3.1.8. Best International Indie Game.

For the Best International Indie Game category, submitted entries must, in addition to complying with the rules and other participation requirements, originate from any independent developer or indie studio legally established in any country worldwide.

3.1.9. Best Indie Game Andalucía Nexus.

For the Best Indie Game Andalucía Nexus category, the applications received, in addition to complying with the rules and other participation requirements, must come from any independent developer, whether registered or not, or any legally constituted indie studio, residing in the Andalusian Autonomous Community.

All applications received in any of the categories, and whose origin comes from any of the Andalusian provinces, will automatically enter to participate in the Best Indie Game Andalucía Nexus category, where the originality, innovation, and quality of the proposals received will be evaluated.

3.2. Regarding the theme of the submitted applications:

3.2.1. No creative limits will be imposed, giving authors total freedom in setting, narrative, type of game (single or cooperative), genre, mechanics, etc.

3.2.2. Proposals that present discriminatory content will be automatically disqualified.

The schedule will unfold on the following dates:

4.1. Opening/submission of applications: from May 31, 2024, at 00:00 h, until July 31, 2024, at 23:59 h.

4.2. Pre-selection of finalists and evaluation by the jury: September 20, 2024.

4.3. Presentation of the finalists (Public): October 11, 2024.

4.4. VI Indie Games Awards Gala: November 29, 2024, Málaga (Venue to be determined).

5.1. The technological execution platforms required in this edition apply to video games that can run on mobile devices, PCs, and/or consoles, allowing the use of VR and AR technologies. Participants should take into account the testing processes they will undergo during the contest, particularly regarding portability and availability.

5.2. Participants must provide, at the time of registration for the competition, the necessary components to test the video game, either by URL or access link, compressed file with executable, downloadable app, activation/invitation codes, or specific reference for its execution, as well as a horizontal video of no more than one minute presenting their application. All application files must be sent through the form enabled via a download link (wetransfer or similar), a link to a shared folder, or a private URL where the project is located, along with a brief explanation of the process to run the video game.

5.3. The video games in the competition must be FTP (Free-To-Play), or failing that, testing must not incur any cost for the Polo Digital Academy (hereinafter, APD) or for the competition jury, otherwise the video game will be disqualified.

5.4. All participating games must provide access for tests to 8 "testers"; that is, depending on the established mode for testing the game, they must send 8 keys or codes and include them within the documentation to be submitted, also indicating the download method or any explanation for its correct execution. Games that reach the finalist stage must send up to 10 new keys or access codes for distribution to the jury.

5.5. The described requirements must be met at the time of registration, and for this purpose, the rules will be fully accepted at the time of submitting the applications.

Participants must fill out a complete form for each video game submitted, which is available on the website https://www.premiosindies.com/. They must indicate the category or categories they wish to enter for each submission.

7.1. Under no circumstances does participation in the competition imply any impact on the intellectual property of the participants and the submitted video games. Similarly, participants will be responsible for all legal aspects of the game they submit to the competition, with neither POLO nor the entities that finance the project assuming responsibility in this regard.

7.2. Participation starts with the submission of the video game at the time of reception, and when APD, in charge of selecting the finalists, can test the game.

7.3. If any problem occurs that prevents testing the game, APD will notify the participant to attempt to resolve the issue and be able to resubmit it before the application submission deadline. Submissions are not related to each other, so in such a case, the participant must complete the form again. Only error corrections will be accepted, not the extension of the submitted game state.

7.4. In any case, participants must comply with the deadlines indicated on the website regarding the reception of submitted video games, presentation of documentation, and requirements by the organizers if applicable.

APD will be responsible for selecting the thirty-two finalists - four per category - of the sixth edition of the Indie Games Awards.

8.1. APD may include, at its discretion, any of the submitted games to another category or categories that meet the criteria to participate in it. However, APD will inform the game owner that they are also competing in another different and additional category to those indicated in the form.

8.2. Each APD member individually tests each game in the competition, or jointly in the case of multiplayer games, performing this task completely altruistically and subject to an operational model designed to make the results as objective as possible.

8.3. To test each game, the APD member must complete a detailed evaluation sheet, rating up to 14 different factors. These sheets are later recorded in a spreadsheet, and the original evaluations are properly archived for any need for later review.

8.4. Once the APD members complete their work, the results are collected, which the system orders according to the different categories of the competition, and from here the 32 finalists emerge, whose games will go to the jury's vote for this edition, from which the contest winners will emerge.

8.5. The presentation of the finalists, four from each category, will be carried out through a public event where each selected finalist participant will have time to show their video game and defend why it is the best in the category they are competing for.

8.6. The 32 finalists will be informed in advance for their required attendance in Málaga for the final Gala. If the event is held remotely, only online presence is required for the event.

8.7. APD reserves the right to nullify the votes of jury members who are shown to have a direct relationship with any of the selected video games.

The criteria in the evaluation of the games by APD and for the selection of the finalists will be as follows:

9.1. General Presentation of the Game.

9.2. Artwork Level.

9.3. Screen Display.

9.4. Technical Level. Gameplay.

9.5. Music and Sound.

9.6. User Experience.

9.7. Addictive/Competitive.

9.8. Collaborative/Multiplayer.

9.9. Duration.

9.10. Originality. Innovation.

9.11. Personal Rating.

The evaluation system considers the non-applicability of criteria depending on the type of game so that the result is not affected by the absence of one or more criteria.

11.1. The jury will be composed of a pool of professionals from the video game sector in different fields, such as media, sector associations, sponsoring entities, publishers, and renowned professionals.

11.2. The jury will have a period of 30 days after the presentation of the finalists to test the video games.

11.3. The jury will score anonymously in an individual form that APD receives to obtain the competition results.

11.4. The jury responsible for the verdict of the Accessibility category of the VI Indie Games Awards will be composed of people knowledgeable in the field of universal accessibility and inclusion and design for all, selected by the Fundación ONCE.

The financial endowment for each category will be as follows:

12.1. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Indie Game for Mobile Devices.

12.2. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Indie Game for PC/Console.

12.3. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Accessible Indie Game.

12.4. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Indie Tech-XR Game.

12.5. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Indie Narrative Game.

12.6. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best International Indie Game.

12.7. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Indie Plus Game.

12.8. Prize of FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) for the Best Indie Game Andalucía Nexus.

12.9. An additional prize of TWO THOUSAND EUROS (€2,000.00) for the Best Indie Game, added to the FOUR THOUSAND EUROS (€4,000.00) prize of its category.

The financial endowments of the awards come directly and exclusively from POLO, which supports the different categories of the call. POLO will make the payment of the prizes for each category directly to the winners, with the application of the corresponding tax withholdings according to current regulations.

If a category to be awarded remains unawarded, either because no games are received that meet the inclusion in the set, or because the jury considers that they do not meet the minimum quality requirements, the organization will allocate the committed amount to a charitable organization.

The jury may select five participating video games that may be considered, additionally, for a commendation in this edition, without prejudice to their participation in any of the award categories. The commendation will consist of a 12-month free stay at POLO, with a maximum of three workstations per commendation.

13.1. Both the finalists and winners of the Indie Games Awards authorize the organizers to publicize and disseminate subsequent information, with no other relationship than that produced by the celebration of the competition and their participation. This includes authorization for the capture and distribution of images, both of the participants and screenshots of their video games.

13.2. In the Best Narrative Game category, the sponsor of this category may mutually agree to incorporate those games they consider most interesting for promotion on their distribution platform, under a remuneration model that will be agreed upon between the parties.

13.3. All awarded authors must consider the possible reference to this award in the commercial edition of the game, as long as it has been deserving of any of the awarded categories.

If any circumstances arise that may affect the competition schedule or these rules, all participants will be notified via email and updates will be published on the website https://www.premiosindies.com/.

For any questions related to the competition, please send your inquiries to the following email address: info@premiosindies.com.