Excellence in Design

• Exo One – Exbleative
• Knuckle Sandwich – Andrew Brophy
• Dissembler – Ian MacLarty
• Skyward – Rule & Make
• Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy – Bennett Foddy

Excellence in Visual Art

• Tala & the Flower Seed – Matthew Petrak
• The Gardens Between – The Voxel Agents
• Exo One – Exbleative
• Desert Child – Oscar Brittain
• Paperbark – Paper House

Excellence in Audio

• Deios II // DEIDIA – BARCHboi
• Florence – Mountains
• Ticket – magicdweedoo
• Knuckle Sandwich – Andrew Brophy
• Exo One – Exbleative

Excellence in Narrative

• Breakfast Cult – Paul Matijevic
• Bound By Blood – Jessica Gates
• Florence – Mountains
• Knuckle Sandwich – Andrew Brophy
• {<>} – Albey Amakiir, Nicholas Staracek, Erika Verkaaik & Aaron Williams

Non-Digital Game Award

• Entropy: Worlds Collide – Rule & Make
• LAIKA – Melody Watson
• Breakfast Cult – Paul Matijevic
• {<>} – Albey Amakiir, Nicholas Staracek, Erika Verkaaik & Aaron Williams
• It Is Forbidden – Tin Star Games

Micro-Game Award

• Rise – Dakoda Barker
• Detachment – Jane Cocks
• The Catacombs of Solaris – Ian MacLarty
• My Lil Fanfic – Star Paridaes
• LAIKA – Melody Watson

Honourable Mentions

• The Thin Silence – Two PM Studios
• The Maître D’ – Seadads
• The American Dream – Samurai Punk
• Museum of Communication – Pity Party
• Wildfire – Sneaky Bastards
• Alien Caseno – Grace Bruxner
• Summertime SPLASH Fish Volleyball Paint DELUXE – Marben Exposito
• Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles – Prideful Sloth

Ben McKenzie (VIC) is an actor, comedian, writer and game designer. Ben is one of the core team behind Pop Up Playground, Australia’s premier live games company. He’s designed, written and produced dozens of live games, including the hit bank heist adventure Small Time Criminals. He’s also lead writer on a Tin Man Games new VR game, and runs digital and non-digital game workshops, independently and with arts centres. He’s worked with Freeplay since 2012 as an MC, judge and production manager, and is delighted to be back in 2018.

Leena van Deventer (VIC) teaches interactive storytelling at the Victorian College of the Arts and RMIT University. In 2013 she co-founded WiDGET, and in 2016 co-authored “Game Changers: From Minecraft to misogyny, the fight for the future of videogames” for Affirm Press. Leena is the Deputy Chair of the Games and Interactive Advisory Committee for the Australian Writers Guild and sits on the Board of Directors of the Victorian Women’s Trust.

Barnaby RW (VIC) is an artist and designer with experience ranging from digital games and virtual reality to more physical works such as escape rooms and installation art. He co-founded Wonder Consortium in 2014 with whom he organised games parties and live projection for music events. In 2016 he designed and built the lighting, electronics and computer systems of the original Earthrise One escape room and is now working on the new Earthrise One as part of PlayReactive. His interests are in the intersection of physical and digital spaces.

John Carroll (VIC) is a game programmer based in Melbourne. He has worked with Evil Genius, CDoor, and is now currently working on some smaller projects of his own. Outside of games, he enjoys participating in various sports and pretending to fly.

Brendan Keogh (QLD) is a Discovery Early Career Research Fellow in the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology. He writes and researches about videogame cultures and development, and is the author of Killing is Harmless and A Play of Bodies.

Damon Reece (SA) is an Adelaide-based narrative designer. They specialize in open-world and modular narrative, and are passionate about pushing for better inclusion of transgender, genderqueer, and non-binary people in the games industry. Damon’s most recent projects include Necrobarista, Australian Game Developer Award winner Hacknet – Labyrinths, and ‘watch this space’.

Photo by Emily McAllan @blackwoolsays

Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie (WA) has been playfully preparing humans for the future since 2003. She is the Founder and Director of Playup Perth, a work-in-progress showcase, which has supported the development of over 100 games and creative innovations. She is also the Founder of Future Human Academy, which helps young people to thrive in an uncertain future. Dr. Kate was named as the Australian Computer Society’s ICT Professional of the Year 2016 and is a nominee for the 2018 Business News 40 Under 40.

Sofie Mather (WA) co-runs Perth’s game dev co-working space ‘Loading Space’. Helps coordinate Playup Perth and is enjoying exploring what community means to her. She was inspired by her time as a producer with SK Games [Bar SK] and its relocation to Melbourne to co-found Potluck Collective, a space for creative people to show off works and explore alternate mediums in a *very* relaxed environment [and she *really* loves it a lot]. Sofie appreciates time with her plants.