Pix’Hell Game Contest

To participate in the contest, the participant, who is otherwise eligible under these official rules, must submit all of the following documents before Mars 28th, 2026 (registration closing date):

• A duly completed official registration form, by following this link
• A digital copy of the game, downloadable either via a link to a digital copy or via a URL of an available online game.
• A video clip of approximately one minute presenting the game.

All materials sent for the contest will not be returned. The intellectual property of the game and its elements remains that of the participant. However, the sponsor reserves a non-exclusive and free right to use the submitted materials (copy of the game, video clip, images, etc.) for promotional, communication, and archival purposes related to the contest and the festival.

The main competition is open to games, independent or not, developed for PC, Mac, Unix, consoles, or mobile and portable platforms (iPhone / Android, etc.).

The games will be pre-selected by a committee chosen by the sponsor. The nomination committee will review the proposed games and select the finalists during a period from February 27th to march 1st, 2025. As of this date, the finalists will be notified of their selection.

• Each finalist game will be exhibited and must be available for a public demonstration as part of the festival, in the festival village.
• Each finalist will be responsible for their own travel, meal, and accommodation expenses.

The winning games will be announced at the end of the event on April 10, 2025, and also at the festival's closing ceremony.

Each finalist will receive a license to use the contest name and the official Pix’hell Game Contest logo.

Each winner will receive a diploma and a license to use the contest name and the official Pix’hell Game Contest logo as a winner.

This license is non-exclusive, free, and limited to communication and promotion uses related to the participant's project and their participation in the contest.

All prizes will be awarded on-site during the Festival.

The contest is open to everyone. Persons under 18 years of age must provide an authorization certificate from a parent or legal guardian. In addition to the general eligibility requirements above, the following additional requirements must be met:

• Independently created:

  The Selection Committee must be convinced that the submitted game has been created in a creative spirit, without plagiarism or use of material not belonging to the participant. The selection committee reserves the right to refuse any game at its sole discretion.

• Use of third-party technology:

  Games that use third-party game engines, middleware, or other software or technologies are eligible only if the participant possesses all the necessary rights to commercially publish the result.

• Rights:

  Before submitting a game, the participant must have obtained written permission from all persons or entities having rights to this game.

• Updates:

  Game updates are allowed during the nomination period. However, the sponsor does not guarantee the observation or application of each patch / update by the selection committee and the jury.

• Development status:

  All games entered must be either completed, or have the full set of final features. You must have the intention, at the time of submission, to release the game within the 12 months following the Pix’hell game contest, if your game is not already publicly released.

• Platform:

  Entered games may run on any platform (Windows, Mac, console, mobile / handheld, etc.). Any participant submitting a game that requires special hardware (e.g., rare input or display devices or old consoles) may be contacted by the sponsor to obtain the hardware at the sole expense of the participant. By registering for the contest, each participant releases the sponsor, and each of its officers, from any liability arising from or related to any injury, damage, or other personal (including computer) loss or claim of any kind arising from or in connection with a violation of these official contest rules, or related to travel and the conduct of the festival.

By registering for the contest, each participant consents to the use of their name, their photograph (if an individual), their logo (if applicable), their place of residence, and the game's media for advertising, promotion, marketing, and administration of the contest, without additional compensation, to the extent permitted by law. Personal data collected will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the BIFFF's privacy policy, available at https://www.bifff.net.

By registering for the contest, each participant represents and warrants to the sponsor that:

• This person is either the participant (if the participant is a natural person) or a representative fully authorized by the participant to represent them (if the participant is a business entity)
• The participant and the game are in full compliance with all eligibility requirements and all other provisions of these official rules
• In preparing the game for participation in the contest and festival, the participant has complied and will comply in all respects with all laws, regulations, and rules and has not violated nor will violate any agreement or understanding by which they are bound, including any confidentiality, employment, consultation, intellectual property assignment, or license agreement
• The submitted game is an original work of the participant for which they hold all necessary rights, and neither the proposed game, nor the reproduction, use, display, performance, or distribution of the game will infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any person or entity.
• The sponsor and its officers disclaim all liability for material, computer, or bodily harm related to the contest, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct on their part.

The sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest at its sole and entire discretion if the contest becomes technically corrupted or if it is not capable of running as planned, including due to computer virus infections, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other cause beyond the sponsor's control that could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the contest. In such a case, the sponsor will post a notice at the festival and on the contest website.

If any part of these official rules is judged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that part will be deemed modified or deleted to the extent necessary, in the Court's opinion, to make it enforceable while preserving the sponsor's original intent, and the remaining parts of these official rules will remain in full force and effect. The contest will be governed by, and these official rules will be interpreted by, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Belgian State, without regard to conflict of law principles. The contest is void where prohibited by law. Any dispute arising from, or related to these official contest rules, the festival, or any prize shall be brought exclusively before the Belgian courts, and the sponsor and each participant will irrevocably waive any objection to the venue and jurisdiction thereof.

To find out the names of the winners, available after April 11th, 2026, consult the contest website.