The Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant is back for 2024

• Got a great idea for a smart puzzle game? Then this could be the big break you’re looking for
• Once again serious money up for grabs with six recipients landing $15,000 each to help make their dream app a reality

The Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant is back. It's a grant available for game makers from underrepresented groups, aimed to help them create what Draknek themselves do best - games in that knotty, problem-packed genre that’s become known as the ‘thinky puzzle game’.

Got a great idea for a smart puzzle game? Then this could be the big break you’re looking for.

Think about it…

Founded in 2013, Draknek & Friends is a developer and publisher of much-loved puzzle games including the award-winning A Monster’s Expedition, Bonfire Peaks, Sokobond, A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, and Cosmic Express.

And once again serious money up for grabs with six recipients landing $15,000 each to help make their dream app a reality.

The grant offer runs from December 2024 through to December 2025 with each recipient not only bagging that cash but also gaining one-to-one mentorship with top thinky puzzle game designers, developers and publishers.

It’s all good news for small devs making niche games that typically can be passed by during the day-in day-out laser focus for publisher profits (when the next smash hit, rule-changing, breakout innovation could easily be lurking within).

Invitations are welcome from (“but not limited to”) developers from groups “where English is not a first language, people of colour, LGBTQIA, and disabled or neurodiverse. There are no geographical restrictions to applicants.”

If you want to know more about the finer details of eligibility everything you need is on the grant homepage.

Last year's success stories

The last round attracted 242 applications, and 12 selected projects in 2022. And those successfully funded projects include successful and award winning thinky puzzle games such as:

Paquerette Down the Bunburrows by Bunstack (France)
Lost Twins II by Playdew (Pakistan)
Shards Between Us by Queensguard Games (distributed team)
On the Peril of Parrots by Spritewrench (Jamaica)
ISLAND_NAME_HERE by Spicy Rice Cake Studio (USA) 
Konkan Coast Pirate Solutions by Samarth Hattangady (India)
Hackshot by Mohammed Al Najjar (Middle East)
AiliA by Icetoad Studio (USA)
DokiToki: Time Slows Down When You’re In Love by Youssef Tobah (USA)
Catacomb Creeper: Re-Vined Edition by Breogán Hackett (Ireland)
Timeclone by Rowan Wood (USA)
Cutting Edge by Ryo Kurama (Japan)

This year’s round is supported by: Draknek (A Monster’s Expedition), Patrick Traynor (Patrick’s Parabox), ISOMETRICORP Games (Tunic), 3909 (Return of the Obra Dinn), No More Robots (Hypnospace Outlaw), Clever Endeavour Games (Ultimate Chicken Horse), Terry Cavanagh (Dicey Dungeons), and Swing Swing Submarine (Seasons after Fall).

Applications are now open here. And close on the 7th October 2024. Good luck!