Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for Game Dev Heroes 2021!
We've had over 550 nomination in this year, and are massively looking forward to finally returning to an awards event later this month.
The category shortlists have been compiled below, alongside many very notable honourable mentions. The shortlists themselves have been formed entirely based on the merit of the nominations that we've received.
The nominations this year have been, as ever, numerous and heartfelt. Every one of the people below has impressed and inspired, and is already seen as an unsung hero or role model to others, and we hope you'll join us in congratulating their achievement.
This years winners will be revealed on the 26th October. Follow our social channels or join our mailing list on the banner below for updates on the announcement event.
Art + Animation
Presented in partnership with Splash Damage
Cao-Hsin Lee
3D Artist, Make Real
Chris Sayers
VFX Artist, Mediatonic
Fen Beatty
Artist, Ustwo Games
Lu Nascimento
Art Director & Co-Founder, Bunnyhug Games
Karolina Twardosz
Artist & Animator, Azure Mountain
Laura Dilloway
Lead Environment Artist, Roll7
Art & Animation Honourable Mentions
Christina Antoinette Neofotistou, Shayleen Hulbert, Scarlett Fu, Uriel Cordas
Design
Daryoush Nekooi
Senior Game Designer, Sumo Digital
Edd Coates
UI/UX Designer, Game UI Database
Jamie Breeze
Designer, Media Molecule
Jeeyon Shim
Designer, Independent
Meg Ralph
Senior Experience Ninja, Ninja Theory
Thomas Chase
Technical Design Lead, PlayStation London Studio
Design Honourable Mentions
Sean Oxspring, Albertine Watson, Caitlin Goodale, Tom Francis
Writing + Narrative Design
Freya Campbell
Writer & Designer, Independent / Supermassive Games
Khaya Ahmed
Writer, FRAG Games
Nicole Martinez
Narrative Director, Crystal Dynamics
Rhianne Murphy
Senior Narrative Designer, Sumo Digital
Victor Ojuel
Narrative Designer and Writer, Crema Games
Xalavier Nelson Jr
Director, Strange Scaffold
Zaire Lanier
Writer and Narrative Designer, Independent
Writing + Narrative Design Honourable Mentions
Samantha Wallschlaeger, Lauren Stevens, Alex Farnham, Douglas Austin
Programming
Presented in partnership with Aardvark Swift
Akshay Jain
Game Developer, Loveshark
Chris Marlow
Principal Gameplay Engineer, Rare Ltd
Connor Halford
Senior Gameplay Programmer, Failbetter Games
Daniel Breton
Programmer, Red Kite Games
Hannah Rose
Programmer, Bithell Games
Rosabelle Armstead
Junior Programmer, Media Molecule
Programming Honourable Mentions
Mark Storey, Manesh Mistry, Jeiel Aranal, Kirsty Keatch, Richard Ogden
Sound
Andreas Busk
Composer and Audio Designer, Triple Topping Games
Chel Wong
Composer and Sound Designer
Gareth Foy
Composer and Orchestrator
Lewis Thompson
Sound Designer, Soundcuts
Luci Holland
Game Composer / Arranger / Sound Artist
Production
Helen Woolley
Producer, Sumo Digital
Katrina Garsten
Senior Live Producer, Turtle Rock Studios
Rachel Martin
Motion Capture Technician, Gearbox Software
Rob Middleton
Producer, Kwalee
Toby Adam-Smith
Producer, Futurlab
Production Honourable Mentions
Stuart Young, Vic Webb, Steven Taarland, Oliver Ward
QA
Presented in partnership with Games Jobs Direct
Jessica Wyeth
Senior QA, Rocksteady Studios
Julia Brown
QA, Bithell Games
Lee Wood
Lead QA Tester, Cloud Imperium Games
Harrison Barton
QA Tester, Quantum Astrophysics Guild
Oliver Balaam
Quality Software Engineer, Improbable
Steph McStea
QA Honourable Mentions
Fiona Nichols, Rose Willard, Joshua Andrews
Marketing & Community
Amy Graves
Senior Global Social & Community, Tonic Games Group / Irregular Corporation
Antonela Pounder
Director of Global Community, 505 Games
Berni Williams
Co-Founder & Creative Director, Centrifuge Games
Claire Sharkey
Head of Communications and PR, Modern Wolf
Eltanin Casciani
Community Manager, Frontier Developments
Lisa Schaeffer
Community Manager, Netspeak Games
Pip Hoskins
Marketing Lead, No More Robots
Stephen Hey
Director, heystephenhey
Marketing + Community Honourable Mentions
Josh Brown, Lauren May, Lauren Moses, Max Downton, Victoria Tran
Leadership
Presented in partnership with Creative England and the Creative UK Group
Anna Ljungberg
Lead SDET/Build Engineer, Rebellion
David Halse
Head of Brand, Creative Assembly
Des Gayle
Game Director, Altered Gene
Gwen Foster
Technical Director, Chikon Club
Heidi McDonald
Lead Narrative Designer
Paul Colls
Design Director, Sumo Digital
Leadership Honourable Mentions
Callum Underwood, Cj Stockton, Jason Howard, Katie Young, Melissa Philips, Ross Wilding, Tara Mustapha
Progression Advocate
Presented in partnership with Square Enix
Bee Oshomuvwe
Studio HR & Recruitment, PlayStation London Studio
Francesca Carletto-Leon
Head of Curriculum & Instructor, Code Coven
Leon Killin
D&I Consultant, Balance Patch
EDI Manager, Sumo Group
Minna Wilke
Animation Manager, TT Games
Stephanie Ijoma
Founder, NNESAGA
Progression Advocate Honourable Mentions
Michelle Tilley, Karla Reyes, Lauren Kaye, Trinidad Hermida
Unsung Hero
Presented in partnership with Creative Assembly
Chad Toprak
Artistic Director, Freeplay Independent Games Festival
Del Walker
Senior Character Artist, Rocksteady Studios
Nicole Stewart Rushworth
Immersive Technologist, Digital Catapult
Reema Ishaque
Personal Assistant, Splash Damage
Reese Wright
Senior Producer, Robot Teddy
Founder, Save Point Social
Ryan McKindle
Lead Art Technician, Ubisoft Reflections
Sarah Blackburn
Associate Production Coordinator, Rockstar North
Yves Le Yaouanq
Chief Content Officer, Focus Home Interactive
Unsung Hero Honourable Mentions
Anna Brandberg, Charlotte Pook, Jodie Donovan, Kirsty Fraser & Andrew Fray, Kitty Calis, Simran Whitham, Stuart Deville