Submissions are now open for the Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer Program
This program focuses on amplifying the voices of up-and-coming tabletop/hobby game designers with a focus on creators from marginalized communities.
The Emerging Designer Program provides both access and support to those designers that have historically been excluded from the larger industry conversations. While we recognize this program is only a first step in that process, our organization is committed to pushing forward, learning from mistakes, and improving the industry we love.
Designers who are selected as finalists receive a free badge and hotel room at Gen Con, up to $2,000 travel reimbursement for both domestic and international travel, a $75 per day food stipend, a $2,000 honorarium for presenting their work, and a prize package of game design resources. They’re also showcased as a Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer at Gen Con.
Eligible designers should have released their first professional or commercial publication (including free, self-published, PWYW, and PDF releases) no more than three years before the selection year. A designer selected for 2024’s Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer Program should not have first published before 2021, for example. We interpret “hobby game designer” broadly, to include both narrative and game mechanics design.
Submissions must be sent through the Google form linked below, and can nominate either your own work or someone else’s. All submissions must supply:
- A paragraph about the designer (100 to 200 words)
- Two to three PDF samples from their different projects. Each sample must be 1 to 5 pages.
- Links to the designer’s social media, if any.
- The designer’s email address.
- Links to any other products of the designer’s that you’d like to share with the committee.
ABOUT THE EMERGING DESIGNER PROGRAM
This program of the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming amplifies the voices of up-and-coming hobby game designers, with a focus on creators from marginalized communities, by featuring them during an expenses-paid trip to Gen Con. Its inaugural year was 2021, when Jeeyon Shim was our first Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer.
For more information about our previous winners and finalists, see the 2023 Emerging Designer page.
CONTACTS
Questions? Please reach out to the program’s coordinators at edp@dianajonesaward.org. To contact the Diana Jones Award Committee, email committee@dianajonesaward.org.
See the Diana Jones website for a full list of sponsors and previous awardees.
