GDC 2025 Market Travel

Screen NSW has opened a competitive market travel grant to support a limited number of experienced NSW digital games practitioners to attend Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025 being held in San Francisco, California, from 17- 21 March 2025.
On this page

Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: Up to $5,000 per applicant
  • Application opened: 10 February 2025
  • Application closed: 24 February 2025, 2:00 pm

Program objective

The objectives of the program are to: 

  • Support travel, accommodation and registration for experienced NSW digital games practitioners to attend GDC 2025 
  • Ensure digital games practitioners are given access to opportunities to benefit their own careers and reinvest back into the NSW digital games industry 
  • Support connections that will shape the future of NSW’s creative landscape and strengthen NSW’s position in the global market. 

This program is administered by Screen NSW.

Eligibility

1

Who can apply

Please see the full guidelines on the Screen NSW website. 

Applicants must: 

  • Be a digital games industry practitioner with commercial game(s) to market or business development interests in a specific commercial game(s) at GDC 2025 
  • Be able to attend the entire conference from 17- 21 March 2025 
  • Be a NSW based company or individual: 
  • If a company, the applicant must be incorporated in Australia and registered in NSW, have their central management and control in NSW and carry out business in NSW 
  • If an individual, the applicant must be a NSW resident (i.e., lived and operated in NSW for at least six months immediately before the application) 
  • Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)  
  • Own or control the necessary rights to any games projects taken to the conference or have the written permission of the rights holder to represent them at business meetings.  
  • Have game(s) proposed to be marketed at GDC that are intended for public release.
2

Types of projects funded under this grant

Not applicable

Most recent recipients

All recipients (5)

What your application needs to include

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

You must submit all core materials listed on the application form. 

Applicant and project details including: 

  • Profile of the company or individual demonstrating their level of expertise 
  • List and summary of any game project(s) including development history that will be represented at GDC. 

Information regarding fulfilment of market travel objectives including: 

  • Statement of intended outcomes and objectives for travel to GDC. 
  • Applicant’s strategy for achieving these objectives 
  • How travel and participation to GDC will benefit the applicant’s project(s) and/or for service provider’s projects they will be representing. 

Market Travel plan including: 

  • Supporting documentation that demonstrate marketplace interest for games project(s) including: 
    • a list of confirmed and proposed meetings and/or networking opportunities 
    • letter of interest from a market partner If applicable 
    • examples of media coverage if applicable 
  • confirmation of showcase opportunity if applicable 
  • Full itemised travel budget including any co-contribution from the applicants or third-parties 
  • CV/resume of people travelling. 
2

Address the eligibility criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Head of Screen NSW

What happens once you’ve submitted your application 

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an email confirmation from our secure online grants system, SmartyGrants. 

Applications will be initially reviewed by Screen NSW staff to ensure they meet eligibility requirements, and all application materials are acceptable. If your application is deemed ineligible, you will be advised by email within 14 days of the closing date. 

If eligibility is confirmed, the application will be evaluated by an assessment panel with a minimum of two assessors including one Screen NSW staff member.  Screen NSW reserves the right to use an external assessor. 

Please note that funding allocation follows a competitive process. Evaluations will consider the assessment criteria outlined above, the availability of funds at Screen NSW and the applicant's need for Screen NSW funds. 

Successful applications will be approved by the Head of Screen NSW based on the recommendations of the assessment panel. 

Timing 

Screen NSW aims to turnaround applications approximately 2-3 weeks from the application close date. Applicants will be advised of the application outcome by date to be confirmed. 

Support and contact

Screen NSW PDV and Digital Games team pdvgames@screen.nsw.gov.au

Download as PDF Print this page
Top of page