Since 2006, Pocket Gamer has been delivering news, reviews, tips, guides and features that inform and entertain mobile and handheld gamers around the world.

Organised by industry experts but voted on by you, the gamers, the Pocket Gamer Awards reward the passion and effort that developers have poured into making games in the last year. And 2020 was a difficult year at that, which makes it especially important that we’ve resurrected this awards process after it took a little while off.

The process unfolds in three stages. Here’s how it works:

STEP 1: NOMINATIONS

We reveal the categories (hey look! They’re all below!) and invite the world – that includes you – to nominate their favourite game in each category. This process lasts through January and helps us build the longlist. If you need inspiration, please look back through the Pocket Gamer archives! Any game that’s come out since 1 January 2020 is eligible.

STEP 2: VOTES

We total up the responses and make sure nothing important has been missed. From this, we will create a shortlist. We’ll reveal that shortlist right here at the start of February. You’ll then have all of February to vote on the shortlist. Make your voice heard by picking who you want to win each category! This shortlist voting process will stay open through all of February.

STEP 3: WINNERS

In late March 2021, we will reveal which games have been voted by you, the mobile gaming public, for celebration and awards.

And so, to the sound of an imaginary fanfare, we invite you to take part in the first part: nominating the games and hardware you consider to be worthy of consideration. Once that's done, we'll all begin voting on the final shortlist. Here are the categories we’ll be awarding this year, you’ll find the nomination form for you to submit game and hardware names here.

1 Mobile Game of the Year
2 Best Mobile Developer
3 Best Mobile Publisher
4 Best Apple Arcade Game
5 Best Google Play Pass Game
6 Best Platform Game
7 Best Battle Royale Game
8 Best RPG
9 Best Puzzle Game
10 Best Sports Game
11 Best Action Game
12 Best Strategy Game
13 Best Simulation Game
14 Best AR Game
15 Most Innovative Game
16 Best Gaming Accessory
17 Best Gaming Phone
18 Best Gaming Tablet
19 Best Educational Game
20 Best Racing Game
21 Best Shooter
22 Best Game Narrative
23 Best Multiplayer Game
24 Best Mobile Conversion
25 Best Digital Board Game
26 Best Game We're Still Playing
27 Best Hypercasual 'Quick Play' Game

There will also be an induction into our Hall Of Fame category, an honour which will be dished out by the editorial team.

Products are eligible if they were released between 1 January 2020 and the closing of the nomination period on 29 January 2021. If your memory needs jogging, please check out our Game Finder (you can sort by most recent additions). Please nominate now and check back on 1 February 2021 for the next stage, final voting.

Please note: this is a different set of categories to the Mobile Games Awards, our partner celebration run by our friends at PocketGamer.biz, which rewards behind-the-scenes industry talent.

For more information head here.