The Kids’ Tabletop Game Design Challenge is a new competition for children aged 7-16 to design board and card games. Submissions are currently being accepted online, and the competition is open until 23:59 on 31 August 2026.
If you live in the UK, and are aged between 7 and 16, then you can enter. Find out more about the 2026 timeline, the entry requirements, and what you have to do to enter.
The challenge is simple: can you come up with an idea for a new game?
We’ve broken this down into a set of mini-challenges, complete with templates for you to fill in. If you prefer your tasks bite-sized, this will help. If you’d prefer to go straight to the form and submit your idea, click here. This form will be available for submissions until 23:59 on 31 August 2026.
Mini-challenge 1: write down your idea. This is about getting the thoughts out of your head and on to a piece of paper where everyone can see them. Use this ideas template.
Mini-challenge 2: get creative with a prototype. In order to test the game, you’ll need a prototype. It can start out as rough as you like — you can always come back and make it look neater later. See these pictures of some rough prototypes.
Mini-challenge 3: make some changes. It might seem strange to be making changes so early on, but you’ll probably already have found a few things which need to be changed. Test the game yourself and make a list of the problems you find. Use this changes template.
Mini-challenge 4: playtest with other people. Show your prototype to your family or your friends. Ask them what they like about the game. Watch them as they play and see what doesn’t work. Then make more changes to your game based on what they say! Use this playtest template.
You might want to do mini-challenge 3 and mini-challenge 4 at the same time. Test it yourself, then with other people, then just yourself again! Make a few changes, then test the game again.
Mini-challenge 5: write down the rules. Now that you have a working game, it’s time to write the rules out neatly. Remember that the people who play your game won’t have you there to tell them what to do, so it’s important that the rules are clear. Use this rules template.
Mini-challenge 6: make a video or take photos. This is the last part of the challenge! In order to submit your rules, you need to show us what the game looks like. Your rough prototype is absolutely fine — it’s just so we can tell which card goes where or how to move. Use these suggestions for your video.
When you have completed all the challenges, submit the rules and the video or photographs by using the form here.
I’m Jess at Dissent Games, and over the last few years I’ve helped children and young people get into game design.
I’ve run drop-in design sessions at conventions, most notably AireCon in Harrogate and Paradice in Worthing. I’ll be running a drop-in session on race games at To Boldly Game at the National Space Centre in Leicester on 31 January 2026, so please do come and find me there!
Some amazing ideas can emerge when you give people paper, pens, and a handful of components. I’ve seen kids make race games where you roll the number of dice you won in your last turn, or whether you roll multiple dice and give some to your opponent. I’ve also seen amazing prototypes from 9-year-olds and 12-year-olds.
I’ve also co-designed a game with a Year 5 class. Busy Buses was created by me and Oxford Road Community School, and was just the best experience. I’m doing another game with Year 6 at Wilson Primary School, which hopefully will be printed and available to buy in spring 2026.
The Tabletop Game Design Challenge is happening because I’ve met enough children who design good games to think that publishers need to see their ideas. Hopefully this contest will fill a gap.
Kid’s Tabletop Game Design Challenge 