The Nuovo Award or Innovation Award is an award given at the Independent Games Festival (IGF), an annual event that takes place during the Game Developers Conference, one of the largest gatherings of the indie video game industry.[1][2][3] The award is given to honor "abstract, shortform, and unconventional game development which advances the medium and the way we think about games".[3][4] The award was designed as a way for art games to compete with traditional indie games, and the winner was originally selected from a group of finalists and given a prize of US$2,500.[3] In 2011, the IGF increased the prize money to US$5,000 due to the increased quality of the entries.[5]
The former IGF chairman Brandon Boyer described the Nuovo finalists as experimental games that attempted to distinguish themselves from established conventions, and would not fit in any of the other IGF award categories.[2][4] Nominations for the award are made by the IGF's judges. Eight finalists are chosen by an elected jury from among the nominees and a few others are given honorable mentions if they receive insufficient votes to become finalists. The winner is decided from among the finalists by jury voting.[3] Jury members include notable game developers and previous winners and finalists, including individuals such as Jennifer Schneidereit,[6] Jason Rohrer, Paolo Pedercini, Ian Bogost, and Daniel Benmergui.[3][5] In the fourteen years since the award's debut, 105 games have been nominated as finalists, while 84 games have been chosen as honorable mentions. Sixteen games have won the award, the first being the platformer Between (2009), while the latest to be awarded is Anthology of the Killer (2024).
Recipients
editYear | Winner | Developer | Finalists[a] | Honorable mentions[b] | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Between | Jason Rohrer |
|
— | [7][8] |
2010 | Tuning | Cactus[9] |
|
— | [10] |
2011 | Nidhogg | Messhof |
|
|
[11] |
2012 | Storyteller | Daniel Benmergui |
|
|
[12] |
2013 | Cart Life | Richard Hofmeier |
|
[13] | |
2014 | Luxuria Superbia | Tale of Tales |
|
|
[14][15] |
2015 | Tetrageddon Games | Nathalie Lawhead |
|
|
[16] |
2016 | Cibele | Star Maid Games |
|
|
[17] |
2017 | Oiκοςpiel, Book I | David Kanaga |
|
[18] | |
2018 | Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy | Bennett Foddy |
|
|
[19] |
2019 | Black Room | Cassie McQuarter |
|
|
[20] |
2020 | The Space Between | Christoph Frey |
|
|
[21] |
2021 | Blaseball | The Game Band |
|
|
[22] |
2022 | Memory Card | Lily Zone |
|
|
[23] |
2023 | Betrayal at Club Low | Cosmo D Studios |
|
|
[24] |
2024 | Anthology of the Killer | Thecatamites |
|
|
[25] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Dominguez, James (March 13, 2014). "Locals indie game studios recognised in major industry event". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (December 20, 2010). "The Eight Unusual Video Games Up For The IGF 'Nuovo Award'". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Rossignol, Jim (December 22, 2010). "So Yeah, IGF Nuovo Award Stuff". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Feltcher, J.C. (December 20, 2010). "Nidhogg, Hazard, and more nominated for IGF Nuovo Award". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "2011 Game Developers Conference". GamesIndustry.biz. December 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ "Here are the IGF juries for the Nuovo, Design, and Narrative Awards at GDC 2022". Game Developer. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ Yoon, Andrew (January 9, 2009). "Independent Games Festival announces 2009 award nominees". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Hatfield, Daemon (March 26, 2009). "GDC 09: IGF Award Winners". IGN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Gillen, Kieron (February 9, 2010). "IGF Factor 2010: Tuning". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ "2010 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2011 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2012 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2013 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2014 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Goodman, Paul (February 28, 2014). "The Weird, The Abstract, The Unique: The IGF Nuovo Awards". The Escapist. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ "2011 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2016 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists"". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2017 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2018 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2019 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "2021 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. United States: UBM Tech. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023.
- ^ "2024 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival. United States: UBM Tech.