Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: $2,150 via a grant to PAX Australia on behalf of each successful applicant.
- Application opened: 12 May 2026
- Application closes: 26 May 2026, 2:00 pm
Program objective
The objectives of the program are to:
- Accelerate the growth of the NSW digital games sector.
- Enable NSW based independent game companies to gain recognition, attract interest and grow investment
- Provide the opportunity for independent game companies to enhance their careers and visibility
- Improve sustainability of the digital games industry.
This program is administered by Screen NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Please see the full guidelines on the Screen NSW website.
Applicants must:
- If a company, be a NSW based company that:
- Is incorporated and registered in Australia and has its principal place of business in NSW (i.e. have their central management and control in NSW and carry out business in NSW for at least six months immediately before the date of application)
- Has no more than 5 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees at application;
or
- If an individual:
- Be over 18 years of age; and
- Be a NSW resident (i.e., lived in NSW for at least six months immediately before the date of application).
Applicants must also:
- Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
- Own or control the necessary rights to any game projects taken to exhibition or have the written permission of the rights holder to represent the projects
- Agree to travel to PAX Australia 2026 and be prepared to cover their travel, accommodation and other expenses associated with their attendance at PAX Australian 2026
- Be able to attend the exhibition and manage their designated pod at PAX Rising from 9 - 11 October 2026 during the hours of 10am-6pm daily AEDT.
- Have a playable game that will be ready to showcase for PAX Australia 2026.
Types of projects funded under this grant
- Games for entertainment purposes
- Games that are completely digital
- Games for any platform including console, desktop, tablet, mobile, VR/AR, Multi-player and single-player games
- Games must be playable (in at least beta form) and intended for public release.
Who can’t apply
Applicants cannot be:
- Full-time secondary or tertiary students
- Educational or training institutions or full-time employees of educational or training institutions
- A licensee of a service under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth) or a related body corporate of such a licensee (as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) or a Commissioning Platform or a distributor or telecommunications company, or an employee (full-time or part-time) of a company owned by any Broadcaster, Commissioning Platform, distributor or telecommunications company or a distributor or telecommunications company, or an employee (full-time or part-time) of a company owned by any Broadcaster, Commissioning Platform, distributor or telecommunications company
- A federal or state or territory government screen agency employee (full-time or part-time)
- In breach of any obligation under any funding agreement it has with the NSW Government.
Types of projects not funded under this grant
- Games that are likely to be rated at 18+
- Games that are likely to be Refused Classification under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995
- Games that involve gambling services, or feature or link exploitative, or unethical pay-to-win or play-to-earn mechanics as defined in Clause 4 of the Commonwealth Interactive Gambling Act 2001
- Games involving ‘gambling’ and ‘unlawful game’ as defined in the Unlawful Gambling Act 1998 (NSW)
- Games must not be considered offensive and must not contain nudity or drug references
- Games developed for advertising or corporate marketing
- Games made for internal training purposes and for curriculum material
- Games that are not completely digital (board games or hybrid digital/physical games).
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
You must submit all core materials listed on the application form, including:
- Profile of the applicant demonstrating their relevant track record
- Statement of intended objectives for attending the event
- Details of the project and a short statement of how attending the event will benefit the project
- Intended plan for exhibition including details on how the exhibition pod will be managed
- A link to the game proposed for exhibition.
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.
Start the application
Screen NSW uses the SmartyGrants platform for submission of all applications. Applications made using any other format will not be accepted.
A preview of the application form can be viewed on the SmartyGrants portal.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an email confirmation from SmartyGrants with an acknowledgement of submission.
A request for late submission due to technical difficulties must be submitted by email to pdvgames@screen.nsw.gov.au within 60 minutes of the application close time. The decision to approve the request will be determined at the absolute discretion of Screen NSW.
If a successful applicant is unable to attend the exhibition, or withdraws from the process, Screen NSW will re-allocate funding to the next eligible applicant (from order of the assessment panel’s evaluation score) who did not receive funding. If no such applicant is available, Screen NSW reserves the right to extend or re-open the program at their absolute discretion.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Senior Manager, Production Attraction Screen NSW
Eligibility
Applications will be initially reviewed by Screen NSW program delivery team to ensure they meet eligibility requirements, and all required application information and materials have been submitted and meet our eligibility criteria. If the application is not eligible, you will be advised by email within 7 business days of the program round closing date.
Assessment
After eligibility is confirmed, the application will be assessed against the published assessment criteria by a Screen NSW staff member or an external assessor with industry experience. The application will be then reviewed by an assessment panel comprising a minimum of two assessors including a representative from PAX Australia.
Please note that funding allocation follows a competitive process. Evaluations will consider the assessment criteria outlined above, the availability of funds at Screen NSW, the variety and representation of the original IP and the applicant's need for Screen NSW funds.
Screen NSW reserves the right to request additional information from the applicant at any stage of the assessment process to enable an application to be fully assessed against the published eligibility and selection criteria.
At any time during the assessment process, due diligence or other checks on an application may be carried out. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Criminal checks
- Internal conflict checks
- Disclosing information by applicants to us of any material reasonably required by us in respect to the eligibility criteria and selection criteria.
At the completion of the assessment process, the assessment panel will make funding recommendations to the designated decision maker Senior Manager, Production Attraction Screen NSW for consideration.
The final decision of successful applications will be approved by designated decision-maker based on recommendations from the assessment panel.
Support and contact
Screen NSW PDV & Digital Games team (pdvgames@screen.nsw.gov.au)