The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers. IGF was founded to create for the independent game community the same benefit the Sundance Film Festival has brought to the independent film community, and is produced by the CMP Game Group, producers of the Game Developers Conference, Game Developer magazine, and Gamasutra.com.
The competition, now in its 19th year, awards a total of $50,000 in prizes to independent developers in Main Competition and Student Competition categories at the IGF Awards Ceremony, which is one of the highlights of the Game Developers Conference and held alongside the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony.
The festival awards ceremony is split into two broad categories: the main IGF competition and the IGF Student Showcase.
The main Independent Games Festival, held in March 2012 at San Francisco's GDC 2012, distributed nine major awards:
Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($30,000)
Nuovo Award ($5,000) (originally Innovation Award)
Excellence In Visual Art ($3,000)
Excellence In Audio ($3,000)
Excellence in Design ($3,000)
Technical Excellence ($3,000)
Best Mobile Game ($3,000)
Audience Award ($3,000)
An additional award, "Excellent in Narrative", was added for the 2013 IGF.
In addition, the IGF's Student Showcase competition gives out the following awards each year:
IGF Student Showcase Winner (eight winners, $500)
Best Student Game ($3000)
Years given below indicate the year when the award was given, with the games or developers being recognized from the previous year.
Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($30,000)
2017: Quadrilateral Cowboy
2016: Her Story
2015: Outer Wilds
2014: Papers, Please
2013: Cart Life
2012: Fez
2011: Minecraft
2010: Monaco
2009: Blueberry Garden
2008: Crayon Physics Deluxe
2007: Aquaria
2006: Darwinia
2005: (Open Category) Gish and (Web/Downloadable) Wik and the Fable of Souls
2004: (Open Category) Savage: The Battle for Newerth and (Web/Downloadable) Oasis
2003: Wild Earth
2002: Bad Milk
2001: Shattered Galaxy
2000: Tread Marks
1999: Fire and Darkness
2017: Oiκοςpiel, Book I
2016: Cibele
2015: Tetrageddon Games
2014: Luxuria Superbia
2013: Cart Life
2012: Storyteller
2011: Nidhogg
2010: Tuning
2009: Between
2017: Hyper Light Drifter
2016: Oxenfree
2015: Metamorphabet
2014: Gorogoa
2013: Kentucky Route Zero
2012: Dear Esther
2011: BIT.TRIP RUNNER
2010: Limbo
2009: Machinarium
2008: Fez
2007: Castle Crashers
2006: Darwinia
2005: (Open Category) Alien Hominid and (Web/Downloadable) Wik and the Fable of Souls
2004: (Open Category) Spartan and (Web/Downloadable) Dr. Blob's Organism
2003: Wild Earth
2002: Banja Taiyo
2001: Hardwood Spades
2000: King of Dragon Pass
1999: Crime Cities
2017: GoNNER
2016: Mini Metro
2015: Ephemerid: A Musical Adventure
2014: DEVICE 6
2013: 140
2012: Botanicula
2011: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
2010: Closure
2009: BrainPipe
2008: Audiosurf
2007: Everyday Shooter
2006: Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
2005: (Open Category) Steer Madness and (Web/Downloadable) Global Defense Network
2004: (Open Category) Anito: Defend a Land Enraged and (Web/Downloadable) Dr. Blob's Organism
2003: Terraformers
2002: Bad Milk
2001: Chase Ace 2
2000: Blix
1999: Terminus
2017: Quadrilateral Cowboy
2016: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
2015: Outer Wilds
2014: Papers, Please
2013: FTL: Faster Than Light
2012: Spelunky
2011: Desktop Dungeons
2010: Monaco
2009: Musaic Box
2008: World of Goo
2007: Everyday Shooter
2006: Braid
2005: (Open Category) Gish and (Web/Downloadable) Wik and the Fable of Souls
2004: (Open Category) Bontãgo and (Web/Downloadable) Oasis
2003: Wild Earth
2002: Insaniquarium
2001: Shattered Galaxy
2000: Tread Marks
1999: Resurrection
This award was retired starting from the 2014 competition onward.
2013: Little Inferno
2012: Antichamber
2011: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
2010: Limbo
2009: Cortex Command
2008: World of Goo
2007: Bang! Howdy
2006: Darwinia
2005: (Open Category) Alien Hominid and (Web/Downloadable) RocketBowl
2004: (Open Category) Savage: The Battle for Newerth and (Web/Downloadable) Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
2003: Reiner Knizia's Samurai
2002: Ace Of Angels
2001: Shattered Galaxy
2000: Tread Marks
1999: Terminus
2017: Ladykiller in a Bind
2016: Her Story
2015: 80 Days
2014: Papers, Please
2013: Cart Life
2012: Beat Sneak Bandit
2011: Hellsing's Fire
2008: Iron Dukes ($2,500)
2007: Samorost 2 ($2,500)
2006: Dad 'N Me ($2,500)
This category replaced the separate prizes for Web/Downloadable games awarded in 2004 & 2005.
2017: Hyper Light Drifter
2016: Undertale
2015: This War of Mine
2014: The Stanley Parable
2013: FTL: Faster Than Light
2012: Frozen Synapse
2011: Minecraft
2010: Heroes of Newerth
2009: Cortex Command
2008: Audiosurf
2007: Castle Crashers
2006: Dofus
2005: (Open Category) Alien Hominid and (Web/Downloadable) N
2004: (Open Category) Savage: The Battle for Newerth and (Web/Downloadable) Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
2003: Pontifex II
2002: Kung-Fu Chess
2001: Shattered Galaxy
2000: The Rift (Far Gate)
1999: Fire and Darkness
2012 Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade Award: Super T.I.M.E. Force
2011 Direct2Drive Vision Award: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
2010 Direct2Drive Vision Award: Max and the Magic Marker
2009 Direct2Drive Vision Award: Osmos
2008 Gleemie Awards (1x $5,000, 1x $3,000, 1x $2,000): Desktop Tower Defense, Skyrates, Quadradius
2007 GameTap Awards (1x $10,000, 2 x $5,000): Everyday Shooter, Blast Miner, Roboblitz
2006 Adultswim.com Award ($5,000): Dodge That Anvil
2005 Cartoon Network "Project Goldmaster" Award (making a game for Cartoon Network): Digital Builders
2004 AOL/Cartoon Network "Project Goldmaster" Award (making a game for Cartoon Network): Flashbang Studios
Best Mod ($5,000 Overall):
Weekday Warrior (
Half-Life 2)
Best Singleplayer FPS Mod ($500):
Weekday Warrior (
Half-Life 2)
Best Multiplayer FPS Mod ($500):
Eternal Silence (
Half-Life 2)
Best RPG Mod ($500):
Darkness over Daggerford (
Neverwinter Nights)
Best 'Other' Mod ($500):
Spawns Of Deflebub (
Unreal Tournament 2004)
Best Mod –
Doom 3 ($2,500):
Last Man Standing Coop
Best Mod –
Half-Life 2 ($2,500):
Dystopia
Best Mod –
Neverwinter Nights ($2,500):
Rose Of Eternity: Chapter 1
Best Mod –
Unreal Tournament 2004 ($2,500):
Path Of Vengeance
2017: Un Pas Fragile
2016: Beglitched
2015: Close Your
2014: Risk of Rain
2013: Zineth
2012: Way
2011: Fract • Octodad
2010: Continuity • Dreamside Maroon • Gear • Igneous
2009: Tag: The Power of Paint
2008: Synaesthete
2007: Toblo
2006: Ballistic • Cloud • Colormental • Narbacular Drop • Ocular Ink • Orblitz • Palette • Sea of Chaos • Goliath • NERO
2005: Dyadin • Intergalactic Shopping Maniacs • Mutton Mayhem • Rock Station • Scavenger Hunt • Soccer Ref • Squirrel Squabble • Stars and Stripes • Team Robot • War, Siege & Conquest: Battle for Gaia
2004: Dark Archon 2 • Fatal Traction • Growbot • Hexvex • Hyperbol • Ice Wars • Kube Kombat • Scrapped • Treefort Wars • Xazzon
