The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is the most prestigious indie competition celebrating its 17th year in existence in 2015.
In addition to the Seumas McNally Grand Prize (winner banking $30,000) there are several other categories as you can see below. Among the grand prize finalists are 11 bit studios' This War of Mine, Croteam's The Talos Principle, and Klei Entertainment's Invisible Inc. and as a matter of fact all the six finalists are also nominated in other categories.
Past winners of the Seumas McNally grand prize include Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine, Minecraft, Fez, Crayon Physics Deluxe, and Papers, Please. Each categories is judged by experts in the respective fields.
The winners will be announced on March 4, at the Independent Games Festival award show in San Francisco during GDC.
Excellence In Visual Art
Donut County (Ben Esposito)
Lumino City (State of Play Games)
Else Heart.Break() (Niklas Akerblad, Erik Svedang, et al.)
Memory of a Broken Dimension (XRA)
Metamorphabet (Patrick Smith)
Oquonie (XXIIVV and Kokorobot)
Honorable mentions: Crawl (Powerhoof); Future Unfolding (Spaces of Play); Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine); Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club); The Sailor's Dream (Simogo); The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts).
Excellence In Narrative
80 Days (Inkle Studios)
Coming Out Simulator 2014 (Nicky Case)
Ice-Bound: A Novel of Reconfiguration (Down to the Wire)
Pry (Tender Claws)
This War of Mine (11 Bit Studios)
Three Fourths Home ([Bracket]Games)
Honorable mentions: Curtain (Llaura, Dreamfeeel); Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (Upper One Games/E-Line Media); Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds); The Fall (Over The Moon); The Sailor's Dream (Simogo); The Talos Principle (Croteam).
Excellence In Design
80 Days (Inkle Studios)
Framed (Loveshack)
Invisible Inc. (Klei Entertainment)
Killer Queen (Joshua DeBonis & Nikita Mikros)
Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds)
The Talos Principle (Croteam)
Honorable mentions: Desert Golfing (Captain Games); Dungeon of the Endless (Amplitude Studios); Endless Legend (Amplitude Studios); Helix (Michael Brough); Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Crate Games); Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club),
Excellence In Audio
Ephemerid: A Musical Adventure (SuperChop Games)
Phonopath (Kevin Regamey)
Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games)
The Sailor's Dream (Simogo)
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts)
Thumper (Drool)
Honorable mentions: Deep Under the Sky (Rich Edwards and Colin Northway); Fotonica (Santa Ragione); Goat Simulator (Coffee Stain Studios); Hotline Miami 2 (Dennaton); Nuclear Throne (Vlambeer); Smash Hit (Mediocre).
Nuovo Award
Become A Great Artist In Just 10 Seconds (Michael Brough and Andi McClure)
Bounden (Game Oven)
Desert Golfing (Captain Games)
Elegy For A Dead World (Dejobaan Games & Popcannibal)
How Do You Do It? (Nina Freeman, Emmett Butler, Jonathan Kittaka and Deckman Coss)
Plug & Play (Mario von Rickenbach and Michael Frei / Etter Studio)
Rooftop Cop (Stephen Lawrence Clark)
Tetrageddon Games (Nathalie Lawhead)
Honorable mentions: Curtain (Llaura, Dreamfeeel); Ice-Bound: A Novel of Reconfiguration (Down to the Wire); International Jetpack Conference (Rob Dubbin and Allison Parrish); Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wiilds); Phonopath (Kevin Regamery); Push Me Pull You (House House).
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
80 Days (Inkle Studios)
Invisible Inc. (Klei Entertainment)
Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds)
The Talos Principle (Croteam)
Metamorphabet (Patrick Smith)
This War of Mine (11 Bit Studios)
Honorable mentions: Donut County (Ben Esposito); Endless Legend (Amplitude Studios); Killer Queen (Joshua DeBonis & Nikita Mikros); Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games); The Sailor's Dream (Simogo); The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts).