Bafta announces winners of Young Game Designers awards

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the winners of the 10th nationwide Bafta Young Game Designers award competition.

The winners were revealed in a first-ever digital ceremony, which was held today (18 June) and presented by Aoife Wilson. The YGD awards are designed to showcase and support some of the country’s brightest young video games talent.

Two of the four awards were in recognition of the best game idea (the Game Concept Award), while two were awarded for coding skills (the Game Making award).

The winners this year were Cameron Crosland, for Strung Up in the Game Concept Award (10-14 year-old category), Evie Sanger-Davies for Fruit Frenzy in the Game Concept Award (15-18 year old category), Alex Robinson for Complicated Co-operation in the Game Making Award (10-14 year old category), and Michael Ballantyne for Contramotion in the Game Making Award (15-18 year old category).

Notable figures from across the gaming industry congratulated this year’s winners, including Abubakar Salim, Alysia Judge, Julia Hardy, Elle-Osili Wood, Austin Wintory, Troy Baker and Siobhan Reddy.

Amanda Berry OBE, Bafta’s chief executive, said: “We are proud to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of BAFTA YGD, an initiative focused on recognising and championing young talent in games.

“We are so impressed with the amount of skill and creativity showcased by our 53 finalists, from all over the UK, and wish to extend a huge congratulations to our four brilliant winners!

Berry thanked “all of the educators across the country who continue to support this important initiative and inspire their students through the power of games”.