71 ways to become a better game designer:

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/71-ways-to-become-a-better-game-designer

Advice for branding yourself in the board game industry (video)

How to turn an idea for a mechanism into a game (audio):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/451085-episode-25-turning-a-mechanism-into-a-game

T.C. Petty III on getting started in design, researching design theory, joining the community and more (audio):

http://boardgameuniversity.libsyn.com/board-game-university-episode-47-tc-petty-iii

What makes a game replayable? (audio)

http://thedieispodcast.libsyn.com/episode-99b-replayability

Advice for avoiding publishing failures (audio):

http://nerdfountain.libsyn.com/nerd-fountain-85-power-to-the-meeple-54-metatopia-2016-learning-from-and-preparing-for-failures-with-jeffrey-norman-bourbeau-mark-sierens-and-matt-fantastic

What makes a good social deduction game? Two podcasts discuss:

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/social-deduction-games-with-the-game-crafter-episode-101

http://www.buildingthegamepodcast.com/2016/12/04/episode-236-play-the-player-and-solo-spying/

Universal Basic Income Design Contest

Deadline: Feb. 1, 2017

Prizes: cash

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1689058/universal-basic-income-design-contest

Designing games for non-gamers:

http://jtreat.tumblr.com/post/154392186452/game-design-for-non-gamers

36th game design contest of Boulogne-Billancourt

Entries open Jan. 4, 2017. The first 100 will be accepted.

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1688590/game-design-contest-boulogne-billancourt

"Evaluate mechanisms to see if you can achieve the same end result in a way that is easier to learn and more satisfying." - Grant Rodiek

"Stop asking if your project is 'done'. Start asking if it’s great." - Peter C. Hayward

Board game legal questions answered: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/5h0beu/im_zachary_strebeck_board_game_lawyer_ama/

The Game Crafter Trick Taker Challenge

Deadline: March 6, 2017

Prizes: store credit and more

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/trick-taker-challenge

"Even done right, playtesting can be frustrating. In essence, it's experiencing failure repeatedly. For this reason, maintaining the decorum and respecting the craft and the social norms are especially important." - Luke Laurie (via @GalvanizedGames)

The Game Crafter Big Box Challenge

Deadline: June 5, 2017

Prizes: shop credit and more

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/big-box-challenge

Tips for getting serious about making your game: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/5gnn7f/im_finding_it_a_bit_hard_to_actually_work/

December 2016 Game Design Showdown

Pitch a game that is the epitome of a "publishable" game

Deadline: Dec. 10, 2016

http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-design/game-design-showdown/gds-december-2016-publish

The 2017 Cardboard Edison Award

Deadline: Jan. 31, 2017

http://cardboardedison.com/award/

The requirement for the December 2016 24-hour contest is "charcoal":

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1682701/24-hour-contest-december-2016