The 13th International Educational Games Competition at ECGBL 2025

ECGBL 2025 will host the 13th International Educational Game Competition (IEGC) on October 2025 Games submitted for the competition are expected to accomplish an educational goal. Authors should be prepared to explain their design and evaluation process, why it is innovative (the game itself or its educational setting), how engaging and/or immersive it is and how they achieved (will achieve) the impact they seek.

The game should be in a development state that engages the player for at least 10 minutes. The competition will be divided into three sections – one for fully developed games, one for games in development and another category for games developed by students. Prizes will be awarded to the best entries in each category.

The aims of the competition are:

  • To provide an opportunity for educational game designers and creators to participate in the conference and demonstrate their game design and development skills in an international competition;
  • To provide an opportunity for GBL creators to peer-assess and peer-evaluate their games;
  • To provide ECGBL attendees with engaging and best-practice games that showcase exemplary applications of GBL.

Games in any format are welcome and this includes both digital and non-digital applications.

Submission In the first instance a 300 word outline should be submitted online.

Successful competitors will be invited to present their game at the 13th European Conference on Games Based Learning (ECGBL 2025) hosted by Nord University, Norway, to present their games to the judges.

Past winners of the competition have included a wide range of game styles and pedagogical methodologies. 

All presenters in the awards must attend the physical conference.


Click here to submit a game outline


Important Dates

Abstract Submission Deadline – 05 May 2025

Notification of Game Acceptance – 04 June 2025

Conference Registration Deadline – 28 August 2025

If you have any queries, email: elaine@academic-conferences.org  

Further information about the 19th European Conference on Games Based Learning can be found at: https://www.academic-conferences.org/conferences/ecgbl/


Previous Winners

2024

Rahee
Jyothi Krishnan and Bhavya Agarwal

2023

Dragons of Afterlands
Sarah Campbell and Marcus Munafo, Play Well for Life and University of Bristol, UK

2022

Svoboda 1945
Vit Sisler

2021

Seek and Search –National Palace Museum, Seek and Search - Qianlong Emperor's Southern Tours
Wu Mi-cha and Chen Yenjui

2020

Reef Stakes®
Yew Aun Quek, Malaysia

2019

Master of Numbers
Bilgen Demirdaş

2018

The Chantry.
David Moore, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Crabs & Turtles, Katerina Tsarava, Leibniz Institut fuer Wissensmedien, Germany

2017

Datak: A serious game about personal data.
Julien Schekter & Bastien von Wyss, RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse), Switzerland

2016

Circuit Warz Michael Callaghan,
Niall McShane and Augusto Gomez Eguiluz, Ulster University, UK

2015

Czechoslovakia 38-89: Assassination
Cyril Brom, CharlesUniversity, Prague, Czech Republic

2014

Meister Cody - Talasia Learning Math
Tino Holthausen, Kaasa Health, Germany

2013

Mystery of Taiga River
Sasha Barab and Anna Arici, Arizona State University, USA