This contest will officially open on 1 June 2026. The closing date for entries is 31 August 2026.
Children be able to enter via a Google form from 1 June until 11:59pm on 31 August. What we are asking for at this stage is a 3 minute video and a short rules document, as well as some basic information such as game name, the age of the child, and permission from their responsible adult (parent or guardian). All contact will be with this responsible adult.
We will look at all entries. We promise to provide at least one piece of feedback for each game which is entered. We expect to judge the games on a number of factors including the potential of the idea (ie how interesting it is) and the practical viability (ie whether it’s easy to actually make).
We will shortlist between three and five games from each age category to be finalists. This will happen during the autumn, and the finalists informed by 30 November 2026.
The finalists will all be invited to submit their games as a physical prototype. This doesn’t need to be a complex prototype — we expect nothing more than cardboard and paper! However, it should be playable. We will ask for this prototype to be emailed to us by 31 December 2026, or physically posted to us a few days later. (We know how busy the post is over Christmas.)
We will show the games to our second-round judges. These people might be games publishers, or reviewers. This will happen in February and March 2027.
Three winners will be chosen, one from each age category. We expect to tell the winners that they won in April 2027.
Kid’s Tabletop Game Design Challenge 