Taking place on Sunday, March 15, the SXSW Gaming Awards ceremony honors excellence throughout the game industry within a refined list of awards categories. With participation opportunities for all games, ranging from individual developers to worldwide publishers, the 2020 Gaming Awards are sure to be the best yet. Explore 2020 information and categories for the Gaming Awards, Gamer’s Voice Awards, and Cosplay Contest below.

Applications for 2020 are now closed. Stay tuned for announcements throughout the season.

Gaming Awards

The SXSW Gaming Awards present a unique opportunity to be recognized by thousands of gaming attendees and professionals from numerous industries at the SXSW Conference. Having premiered at SXSW 2014, the Gaming Awards have rapidly grown to receive thousands of applications across each of its unique awards categories, representing both AAA and indie gaming.

Gamer’s Voice Awards Presented by JBL QUANTUM

The Gamer’s Voice Awards began in 2013 as a way to bring the best in indie game development to the world’s stage at SXSW. Now in its seventh year, the Gamer’s Voice Awards have grown to become one of the largest, and most impactful, experiences for hundreds of indie developers and teams throughout the gaming industry. With past successes including titles such as Astroneer, SUPERHOT, Gang Beasts, and Owlboy, this award has become a great opportunity to facilitate growth in both budding and completed indie projects.

JBL QUANTUM amplifies epic gaming moments by providing the most advanced and immersive sound experience. Leveraging JBL’s deep audio heritage and proprietary JBL QuantumSURROUND™ and JBL QuantumSPHERE 360™ technology, players gain a true competitive advantage when sound is survival.

Cosplay Contest

One of the most popular events at the SXSW Gaming Expo, the Cosplay Contest showcases the unique creative talents of the cosplay community. Returning for SXSW 2020, stay tuned for more on event details to be revealed at a later date.

Contact Us

For more information on our SXSW Gaming Awards, Gamer’s Voice Award, or Cosplay Contest, please reach out to gaming@sxsw.com.

For all press requests, please contact press@sxsw.com.

For all general SXSW Gaming inquiries, please contact us at gaming@sxsw.com.

Gaming Awards

The awards will be open for all entries from Tuesday, October 29 – Friday, December 6. All entries must have been completed titles that had been released during the 2019 calendar year. Any other entries are not taken into consideration.

Judging is a two-step process once all entries were received. First, there will be a private judging process for all entered titles in which the SXSW advisory board and staff select the top five choices in each award category. Once the final nominees are chosen for each category, the general public will be invited, along with the advisory board and staff, to cast their final votes to determine the winner of each award. All winners will be revealed during the Gaming Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 15 at SXSW 2020.

Gamer’s Voice Awards Presented by JBL Quantum

The Gamer’s Voice Awards are open for all entries from Tuesday, October 29 – Friday, December 6. The Gamer’s Voice Awards have their own categories that indie developers and teams with titles released (or slated to be released) in either the 2019 or 2020 calendar years qualify to enter.

Nominees for the Gamer’s Voice Awards, as selected by SXSW Staff who play every entry, will receive an exclusive exhibition space at the SXSW Gaming Expo to exhibit their nominated title. From there, Gaming Expo attendees will have the chance to play each nominated title and vote to determine the winner of the Gamer’s Voice Award, which will be announced on the final day of the Gaming Expo. The Gaming Expo will take place from March 19-21, 2020 in the Palmer Events Center.

Video Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Mobile Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.

Tabletop Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.

XR Game of the Year – Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.

Trending Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that consistently entertained and kept audiences watching on social platforms with its humor, stories, and more.

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award – Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.

Most Promising New Intellectual Property – Awarded to a new property that risked creating something fresh and that excelled within its genre or category for the year.

Excellence in Art – Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.

Excellence in Animation – Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animation effects and graphics.

Excellence in Design – Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.

Excellence in Gameplay – Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.

Excellence in Musical Score – Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.

Excellence in Multiplayer – Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

Excellence in Narrative – Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

Excellence in SFX – Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

Excellence in Technical Achievement – Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.

Excellence in Visual Achievement – Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.