Prizes:
We’re excited to offer a total prize pool of $1,300:
- 1st Place: $650
- 2nd Place: $350
- 3rd Place: $150
- 4th Place: $100
- 5th Place: $50
Voting / Judging:
The winners will be determined by a public vote utilizing ranked choice voting. We will host two in-person events for people to come play and vote on the games.
Voters will rank their top favorite entries, ensuring a broad community support for each winner. To promote fairness and informed voting, players are required to play multiple games before casting their votes, ensuring they experience and evaluate a variety of entries. If your top choice cannot win, your vote automatically transfers to your next preferred option. This process continues until the top five winners are determined, with each winner requiring majority support. This method respects voter intent and ensures that each winner is strongly supported by the community.
Entry Fee:
The entry fee is $25. However, if this presents a financial hardship, you can opt to pay between $5 and $24 instead. For those who are able and willing to contribute more than $25 to support the contest, there’s an option to do so. All fees collected go directly into the prize pool and help support this series of contests. Payment currently must be made through PayPal although we are exploring additional payments platforms.
Geographic Eligibility:
Participation is limited to residents of the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. The included counties are listed below. You’ll be required to provide your zip code and the county where you reside.
We’ve chosen to limit eligibility to residents of 16 counties within the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. These counties reflect the broadest definition of the Charlotte region, encompassing communities that are closely tied to the cultural, economic, and social fabric of the city. This ensures that our contest reflects the interests and preferences of those who live and engage with the Charlotte area most directly.
Age Restrictions and Parental Consent:
There are no formal age restrictions for participating in this contest. However, participants under the age of 18 must have parental or guardian consent to enter. If a minor wins a prize, the prize will be awarded to their parent or guardian on their behalf. By participating, minors affirm that they have obtained permission from their parent or guardian.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to review the content before allowing minors to participate. This ensures that all participants engage in the contest safely and appropriately.
Submitting as a Team:
If you are submitting as part of a team, each team member must individually submit the form, but only one entry fee is required per game submission.
Please ensure that you list the names and roles/credits of each team member in the appropriate section.
Multiple Submissions Allowed:
You are welcome to submit as many games as you like. Please note that each submission requires a new submission form and entry fee.
Intellectual Property:
You retain full ownership of your game submission.By submitting your project, you affirm that this is original work created specifically for this contest. You may reuse elements of your previous creations as long as the end result is something novel for this contest. AI-generated content is allowed as long as it is fully acknowledged. You are permitted to use third-party assets, such as music, graphics, or code, provided they are copyright-free, in the public domain, or licensed under Creative Commons. You must acknowledge and provide appropriate credit for any third-party assets you use, including details of their source and licensing.
POTIONS & PIXELS Acknowledgment: By participating in this contest, you grant POTIONS & PIXELS the right to showcase and highlight your project at events, in our exhibits (including on our ArtCade machines), online, in print, and in any other forms of media. If your project continues to grow after this contest, you agree to acknowledge the role POTIONS & PIXELS played in its development. This acknowledgment will be included on the box, in the manual, or in another appropriate place, highlighting the connection to the nonprofit's work in helping grow the game industry. Additionally, POTIONS & PIXELS retains the right to reproduce images, video, and content from your project in various forms, such as booklets, merchandise, or for fundraising purposes. For example, we are exploring the creation of summary books featuring all the projects in the contest series.
Code of Conduct:Participants are expected to uphold a high standard of respect, fairness, and integrity throughout the contest. Any abusive or inappropriate behavior, as well as attempts to manipulate or tamper with the submission process, will result in disqualification and may lead to legal action.