University of Abertay Dundee's 2011 Dare to be Digital video game development competition is now open for entries, contest organizers said Monday.
The Scotland-based competition is targeted towards undergrad and post-grad game designers, programmers, digital artists and audio engineers who want to gain recognition and possibly break into the game development industry.
Applications are open today at the
official website, and the deadline is April 3.
Dare to be Digital is an on-site, in-person competition held at Abertay University for nine weeks from June to August. Individual applicants are not permitted, and teams can be made up of students from different universities.
Schools outside of Scotland are also eligible. Last year, a team from Georgia Tech was the first American team to participate in the contest.
Participants receive a weekly stipend of £150 per student, free accommodation at the university's dorms and a team budget of £200. The three highest-scoring teams win £2500.
Participating students form four- or five-person teams and work together to create a fully-functional video game prototype. Industry experts will choose the teams that will take part in this year's contest. At the end of the development period, experts judge the games and winners receive BAFTA's "Ones To Watch" award.
Dare to be Digital project manager Elaine Russell said, "This year we’re looking for exceptional creative game development talent, as well as strong commercial ideas about how the games developed at Abertay University can be taken to market after the competition."
Noting newer venues for small developers such as mobile, online and digital distribution, Russell said, "I encourage all applicants to think both creatively and commercially. Dare to be Digital gives students a unique crash-course in team-working and access to personal advice from leading games developers. We’re expecting a large number of applications once again."
Chipmaker Intel is supporting Dare to be Digital by providing tools and hardware that will help students create prototypes for their games.
