Submissions for the 2021 Cardboard Edison Award are now closed

Submissions for next year’s award will open Jan. 1, 2022!

Please read the following carefully before submitting your game!

Submissions must be received before 11:59 PM Eastern time on January 31, 2021.

Before submitting, designers must pay a $10 submission fee. However, our Patreon patrons made this award possible, so patrons of Cardboard Edison ($2 or more per month) will receive a coupon code for one free submission. You may submit any number of games, but you must pay a separate submission fee for each.

For each submission, you will need to include a brief description of the game, a video overview, and a rules document. You will also need to provide your name and contact information. Note: No download or login should be required to access the video or rules, so please make sure the materials' sharing setting are set accordingly.

New in 2021: Due to ongoing social-distancing guidelines, submissions will be accepted in two tracks: online judging and in-person judging. Designers must select the track they deem most appropriate for their games.

Game Description

This will include the title, player count, play time, and a brief description of the game.

Video

You will need to provide a link to a video overview of your game. The video should be no longer than 5 minutes. Shorter is better. See the FAQ for more information.

The video can be hosted on your own site or on a public site, such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Tumblr.

Rules

You will need to provide a link to a complete rules document that is sufficient for a reader to learn to play the game.

The rules can be hosted on your own site or on a public site, such as Dropbox or Google Drive.

Restrictions

All submissions must not be publicly available through any retail, secondary or print-on-demand market, including Kickstarter, before July 2021. Designs may not be licensed to a publisher during the award period. Designs must be original works that do not infringe on any intellectual property.

Board, card and dice games are eligible. Sorry, no RPGs or videogames.

Designers must be 18 years or older to enter. Judges are not eligible to enter.

Designs should be complete and playtested before being submitted. Prototypes do not need to have final artwork or graphics, but they should be clear and usable.

All designs remain the intellectual property of the designers.

After Submitting

If your game is chosen as a finalist, you must be able to mail a physical copy of the prototype for in-person judging or provide a Tabletop Simulator mod for online judging.

We will notify you by Feb. 28, 2021, if your game has been chosen. (All designers will receive feedback from the first-round judges.)

Prototypes must be received by April 1, 2021.