30th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards 2027: Video Game Industry Submissions Close December 8
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has opened submissions for the 30th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, an industry recognition programme for published games and their developers. Entries close on Tuesday, 8 December 2026 at 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time, with the awards ceremony scheduled for Thursday 18 February 2027 in Las Vegas. The awards recognise achieved excellence in video games, including innovative independent games, game design, virtual-reality or immersive experiences and technical or artistic craft. They are not a contest where a developer can win a grant for an unfinished game proposal.
Eligibility: released work and rights holders
The Academy's 2027 submission materials and industry eligibility summaries focus on games with a qualifying 2026 commercial or general release in North America. Companies should examine the final official regulations to ensure that their particular platform, update, early-access version, remake or port falls inside the release window. An entrant must be the appropriate rights holder or authorised developer/publisher representative. If you are an independent developer without full Academy membership, follow the organiser's separate independent submission route, whose eligibility and fees may differ from the standard publisher process.
Important schedule and event
Official application closing: 8 December 2026 at 5 p.m. US Pacific Time; for this date, Pacific Standard Time is UTC−8.
Japan time equivalent: 9 December 2026 at 10 a.m. JST.
The ceremony for the 30th edition will take place on 18 February 2027, Las Vegas, Nevada.
A submitted game is not automatically nominated or guaranteed public display.
Check the specific award category and release criteria in the 30th edition's Rules and Procedures before uploading files.
Cost and game-specific submission requirements
The 2027 announcement itself does not publish a single universal fee amount. The organiser has separate standard and independent-developer submission documentation, so do not assume the entry is free or identical for every business. The application system and binding rules control actual charges, submission permissions, and any discount or membership arrangements. An entrant should prepare a playable build or access code, clear release dates and platform evidence, publisher/developer credits, promotional imagery, representative gameplay footage and the required evaluation materials, subject to the fields on the current submission form.
What the awards actually offer
D.I.C.E. is an industry honour awarded by peers through the Academy, not a cash-prize promise, game-development investment, festival booth grant or incubator placement. A successful nominee can receive profile and commercial credibility among developers, publishers, artists and press; there is no guarantee of a particular dollar amount of prize money. The official 2027 cycle introduces ranked-choice voting, asking Academy members to rank the nominated works in each category, an important procedural change for this thirtieth edition.
Organiser credibility and historical context
AIAS is a recognised professional association in interactive entertainment with more than 30,000 development and creative members. It operates the longstanding annual D.I.C.E. Awards and its convention in Las Vegas, recording previous years' nominees and honourees. The awards site features independently verifiable entry instructions, membership rules, category definitions and academy contact details. Its 2027 news release also announces the dates and major voting reform, so prospective applicants should verify the page before seeking advice from third-party award brokers.
Official call and independent application
AIAS official 30th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards announcement: https://www.interactive.org/awards/30th_annual_dice_awards_submissions_now_open.asp
Official game submission form: https://www.interactive.org/awards/dice_awards_submission_form.asp
Independent game developer entry route: https://www.interactive.org/awards/awards_independent_submission.asp
Checked 24 October 2026. Submission deadline 8 December 2026, 5 p.m. US Pacific Time. Verify fees and released-game eligibility in the official online form.