UK Trade Body TIGA Launches $150K Games Development Contest

UK game industry trade group TIGA is set to launch a game developers competition today, that will offer money prizes as a means of building games prototypes and securing funding. The £100,000 ($154,700) TIGA Games Contest, announced by Creative Industries minister Ed Vaizey at the NESTA Investment Conference earlier this week, is part of the Abertay University Prototype Fund. The competition will see three different categories -- games on-the-move, games in-the-home and social web gaming -- over which four prizes of £25,000 will be awarded to the winning development teams. Other prizes include free TIGA membership for six months, selected mentoring, and support from technical groups Antix Labs and Turbulenz. Applications open later today, and will run until 26 January, 2012. Vaizey explained, "Being able to show a potential investor a prototype can make a real difference in securing all-important funding, so this competition will provide direct help to budding developers." TIGA CEO Richard Wilson added, "One of TIGA's top priorities is to improve access to finance for studios." "I am delighted, therefore, to be working with Abertay, Antix Labs and Turbulenz in running this competition which will provide finance for small studios to develop game prototypes."