Calling Canadian Game Designers!

The Canadian Game Design Award (CGDA) is presented to the designer of an original, unpublished game.

Typically, the contest runs between April and August with two evaluation phases.

In the Initial Evaluation phase, submissions are assessed using 5 key criteria to determine the finalists. Then, designer-provided prototypes are playtested during the Finalist Evaluation phase.

Judges from across Western Canada perform the Finalist Evaluations using a robust evaluation criteria to determine the Canadian Game Design Award winner.

Contest Timeline

May 15th - Deadline for Submissions

May-June - Initial Evaluation Phase

June 30th - Prototypes received from Finalists

July 1st - Finalists Officially Announced

July-August - Final Evaluation Phase

August 22 - The Winner is Announced!

The Canadian Game Design Award Ceremony takes place during the weekend of the FallCon Convention.

Enter Now!

If you are interested in taking part, please see the Rules for more details.

CGDA Entry Form: Click Here

Judging

We welcome anyone who has an interest in supporting Canadian Board Game Designers and loves board games to help evaluate this year's entry. You may participate in either or both Judging Phases.

Judging Phases for the 2026 award cycle are as follows:

Initial Phase: Video Review | May 16 - June 8, 2026
Finalist Phase: Playtesting | July 1 - August 12, 2026

Judging Sign Up Form: Click Here

About the CGDA

The FallCon Gaming Society along with its founding counterpart, The Canadian Wargamers Group, has had a rich history of fostering the gaming hobby in Canada since 1985. In 2010, the members of the Society felt it was time to make a further contribution to the hobby by launching an annual Canadian Game Design contest that would highlight and eventually foster homegrown Canadian talent in game design.

Check out our past winners!