BCS AGD SG Artefact 2026 competition
The theme for the BCS Animation and Games Development SG’s Artefact 2025 competition is “The Future of Work is Play".
Artefact 2026 Competition Theme: “The Future of Work is Play” in a single power point to illustrate your interpretation of this theme or to develop a game to do so.
The Challenge: Imagine a world where work feels like a game. Your task is to create an interactive artefact, a game, animation, or immersive experience, that explores how the future of work could become more playful, engaging, and meaningful for everyone.
Think about how games technology and storytelling could transform the daily grind into something people enjoy and grow from.
- Work + Play Balance: design experiences where wellbeing, creativity, and productivity go hand in hand.
- Virtual Teams & Avatars: explore playful ways for people around the world to work together.
- AI & Automation: what happens when boring tasks are handled by machines, leaving humans to “play” at work?
The artefact could be a computer game, or the idea for a computer game on a single Power Point slide or a one-minute video on YouTube - with the specified theme - The language should be English.
Entries should be submitted by a point of contact to the BCS, ACDcomp@BCS.org, with a copy to margaret.ross@bcs.org.uk and epredator@feedingedge.co.uk by 12:00 (noon) on Tuesday 19 May 2026 (World Fair Play Day).
The names of the winners, runners-up and highly commended might be put on the BCS website.
For both the Open and the Student Categories
- For all categories entries may be either from an Individual or a Team.
- Each member or team is allowed to submit up to 2 entries;
- Maximum team size is 3;
- For the Open class, there must be at least 1 BCS member in a team
- All entries must be free from any copyright, potential legal limitations or other issues that might cause offence
- Entries from outside the UK are to be encouraged;
- For the student category entries should be collated by a member of staff for the establishment (not necessary to be a BCS member), who would aggregate the entries and email them to us as a single file.
- Each academic establishment may submit up to 15 entries for each competition; it is left to the points of contact to sift down to this limit, if more than 15 entries are submitted to them.
- After the deadline, entries will be assessed by a panel and the results published on the BCS AGD SG website, including the name of the winners and their educational establishment for the student competition, but the name only of the School for that competition.
- The judges’ decision is final – all winners will receive a Certificate.
- Competition entry deadline for all categories is 12:00 (noon) on 19 May 2026. Results should be announced before the end of July.
Open entries
For the Open Competition, entries via the individual or one member for group entries, who should be a BCS member, stating the BCS number - only one member per group for the open competition need be a BCS member - maximum group size of three, The entries should to be sent to ACDcomp@BCS.org, copy to epredator@feedingedge.co.uk and to margaret.ross@bcs.org.uk with " AGD Artefact Open Competition" in the subject
Student entries
For the Student Competition for students at Universities, Higher and Further educational establishments or secondary or primary schools in 2025-2026: Entries are invited from individuals or groups, maximum group size of three, of students at all levels whether in full-time or part-time study; submitted by a member of staff, not needed to be a BCS members. The entry should to be sent toACDcomp@BCS.org, copy to epredator@feedingedge.co.uk and to margaret.ross@bcs.org.uk with " AGD Artefact Student Competition" in the subject by the Point of Contact, for their educational establishment, a zip file or files with the identification of the author(s) for each, together with the contact details of the nominated Point of Contact, e.g. full name, name and address of the educational establishment, country and email address.
For students having home-study, rather than conventional school attendance, a single person acting as point of contact for that area can submit the entries, but prior contact must be made in advance, with details of the group to be represented. Each academic establishment or area home study group may submit up to 15 entries for each competition; it is left to the points of contact to sift down to this limit, if more than 15 entries are submitted to them.
The names of the winners, runners-up and highly commended might be put on the BCS website but only the school name for that class .
Organised by the BCS AGD SG, https://www.bcs.org/membership-and-registrations/member-communities/animation-and-games-development-specialist-group/
