What are the Mobile Games Awards?

The Mobile Games Awards, taking place on the second evening of Pocket Gamer Connects, will recognise the work of the top games companies in the industry over the last year.

As you can see below, these awards represent firms across the industry, from the games developers and publishers to the tools companies, service providers and recruiters that all make this sector the largest and most pervasive in gaming.

How do I nominate and am I eligible?

To nominate your company and/or game, or to lobby on someone else’s behalf, please read the guide below to see what awards the game and/or company is eligible for. You can lobby for a company in as many categories as you like.

Once you’ve found the appropriate awards, head on over to our online form which will guide you through the process: www.mobilegamesawards.com.

We’ll ask you for details on the company and its achievements during the last year, or why a game deserves an award. Please detail these in a bullet point format that simply state your reasons for nominating.

Once you have filled in the form and sent it, that’s it! Please note that lobbying does not guarantee a place on the list of finalists. The deadline for lobbying is Tuesday, November 14th. 

What are the categories?

We go into the categories in detail below, but if you’re after a quick glimpse, here are the categories for the first ever Mobile Games Awards:
1. Game of the Year
2. Best Developer
3. Best Indie Developer
4. Best Publisher
5. Best Development Tool
6. BestBack-end Solution
7. Best Advertising & UA
8. Be st Marketing Campaign
9. BestAnalytics / Data Tool
10. Best QA + Localisation Service Provider
11. Best Technological Innovation
12. Best Game Management & Live Ops
13. Best Recruitment Agency
14. Mobile Legend
15. Pocket Gamer People’s Choice

What happens after the lobbying phase?

Once the deadline passes for lobbying, the team at PocketGamer.biz will whittle down the longlist to a shortlist of finalists for the Mobile Games Awards. A panel of mobile games industry experts from across the sector will then vote for what they feel is the best company or game in each category. Those who receive the most votes will be named the winner of that category, which will be announced during the Mobile Games Awards live in January.

The Mobile Legend award, which recognises an industry icon for their lifetime achievements, will be specially chosen by the team at Steel Media.

When and where will the Mobile Games Awards be held?

The Mobile Games Awards will take place on the second night of Pocket Gamer Connects London 2018, Tuesday, January 23rd 2018. 

How can I attend?

The inaugural Mobile Games Awards 2018 will be hosted at the prestigious BAFTA building in Piccadilly, London. To buy tickets, visit the official website here: www.mobilegamesawards.com. 

What if I want to sponsor the event?

For sponsorship details, please email Steel Media CEO Chris James at chris@pocketgamer.co.uk.

And without further ado… here’s the full lobbying guide for the first ever Mobile Games Awards!

1. Game of the Year
This award recognises the best mobile game released over the last year based on creativity, innovation and success. To eligible for this award, games must have been given a full release from 1st November 2016 onwards.

2. Best Developer
Any mobile games company with 11 or more staff that has released a game, or successfully grown an existing game, during the last year, as well as successfully expanded their business and made an impact on the industry through innovation, creativity and other initiatives.

3. Best Indie Developer
This accolade recognises the achievements of a team of up to 10 developers that have released a game, or successfully grown an existing game, during the last year.

4. Best Publisher
Any company that has supported another developer in releasing a game on mobile devices during the last year, whether through publishing support, marketing, co-development or investment.

5. Best Development Tool
This award is open to any company providing development tools that help developers make games on mobile platforms, be that full game engines or related design tools.

6. Best Back-End Solution
This award recognises the companies that are supporting live games on the market through back-end services to ensure game servers run smoothly and help developers implement special online features.

7. Best Advertising And UA
This accolade is for companies that support the ecosystem through enabling user acquisition or monetisation through advertising and are helping to drive this fast-growing business in games and developers to acquire more users.

8. Best Marketing Campaign
This award recognises the best developer-run or third-party-run marketing campaigns over the last year that led to a game’s growth. This can be through any medium, including online, TV or other.

9. Best Analytics Or Data Tool
Any company that supports developers and publishers develop their games and run marketing campaigns through analytics tools and/or providing data on market performance.

10. Best QA + Localisation Service Provider
This accolade awards companies that have supported mobile games over the last year in the areas of quality assurance and localisation, ensuring that both new releases and updates go live with as few problems as possible and are localised appropriately for target markets.

11. Best Technological Innovation
Any developer or technology company that is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on mobile devices through a new technology, be it hardware or software. This can be an innovative tool or unique use of technology that benefits the industry as a whole.

12. Best Game Management And Live Ops
This award recognises the impact of significant updates, in-game events or excellent community management over the last year for games released in 2016 or before, that have helped take a game to the next level and sustain a title’s life.

13. Best Recruitment Agency
Any recruitment agency that over the last year has supported mobile game companies in finding and employing the best staff to develop new games, create new tools or offer key services.

14. Mobile Legend
This special lifetime achievement award recognises a person from anywhere in the world who has achieved a considerable amount of success in their career and has acted as a pioneer in the mobile games space.

15. Pocket Gamer People’s Choice
This is the only award voted for by consumers and recognises the best new game that received a full release during the last year. This award will be open for voting through PocketGamer.co.uk, with the winner revealed on the night.

Submissions now open at www.mobilegamesawards.com! See you on January 23rd.