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GDC Student Scholarships

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The IGDA will be awarding 25 scholarships for this years  Game Developers Conference. GDC is where game development professionals gather to share ideas and build the skills that the industry needs. Located in San Francisco, California, this year's GDC will be held March 9-13 2010.

"Attending GDC was everything I had expected. What the IGDA provided through the mentor program, introductory luncheon, and [studio site] trip set this conference experience apart from all of the other huge conferences I have ever attended." - Eric Webster Brown, 2006 Scholarship Recipient

2010 GDC Student Scholarship Recipients

  • Sebastian Koenig,  University of Canterbury, New Zealand
  • Andrew Brocker, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
  • Azedeh Jamalian, Columbia University
  • Walt Destler, Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center
  • John Murphy, DePaul University
  • David Milam, Simon Fraser University School of Interactive Arts and Technology
  • Kathrin Maria Gerling,  University of Duisburg-Essen
  • Toby McCall,  The Guildhall at SMU
  • Andre Luis Martins Gomes Universidade de Sao Paulo
  • Zeng Qi, The University of Tokyo
  • James Wiser, The Cleveland Art Institute
  • Savannah Mae Causey, The Art Institute of California Orange County
  • Laura Bacon, DigiPen Institute of Technology
  • Brianna Lindsay Weaver, Ohio University
  • Daniel Bahamon, Full Sail University
  • Stephanie Bouchard, Universite de Quebec a Montreal
  • Steven Edward Mond, University of Virginia
  • Gabriel Stephen Deyerle,  University of Southern California
  • Christopher Bell, Carnegie Mellon University, Entertainment and Technology Center
  • Gillian Smith, UC Santa Cruz
  • Kyle Perkins, Ohio University
  • Ahmad Jaballah, American University in Dubai
  • Nathanael Newby-Kew, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

 

 

 

 

 

Qualifications & Scholarship Details

  • Scholarship applications must be submitted on or before Thursday, January 15th, 2010.
  • Only full-time university (or similar) students are eligible, and must be 18 years of age or older as of March 9, 2010
  • Applicant must be an IGDA Student Member in good standing. If you are not currently a Student Member, you must join the IGDA before applying for the scholarship. All applications will be verified.
  • Past scholarship recipients are not eligible.
  • Recipients will be awarded one Main Conference Pass, with access to all sessions, roundtables, and keynotes.
  • Students are responsible for all travel arrangements and related costs.
  • Scholarship applications will be judged by a panel of professional game developers.
  • Each scholarship recipient will be paired with an industry mentor.
  • Scholarship recipients will participate in a local studio visit and orientation session.
  • Recipients will be announced before February 4th, 2010 (the early rate pricing deadline).

Judging Criteria

To help students hone their applications and to better understand what the judges are looking for, here's the basic criteria that judges will use to rate applicants:

  1. Relevance - Will attending GDC help the student achieve his or her specific educational and/or career goals?
  2. Initiative - Has the student demonstrated continued dedication to game development and effort to educate themselves?
  3. Special Circumstances - Has the student overcome any unusual challenges or obstacles?
  4. Communication - Are the ideas expressed in the essays communicated effectively and efficiently?
  5. Tilt Factor - Overall, does it seem like this student would be fun and interesting to have around at GDC?

 

 

"I highly recommend that anyone who is working towards breaking into the game industry attempt to attend as many GDCs as possible – the networking alone is worth the trip, and the diversity of sessions will keep all flavors of game developer interested well past the conference's end date." - Matthew Raymond Billock, 2006 Scholarship Recipient

 

GDC Volunteer Program

As the IGDA has a limited number of scholarships to award, we'd like to point students to the GDC's "Conference Associates" program. The CA program is an excellent way for students to experience GDC as a volunteer/attendee, with free entry to the conference. The CA program is managed directly by GDC. Please visit their site for details or to contact them directly with your questions.