- 856 entries from 57 countries worldwide… 332 works from 42 countries finally exhibited after overcoming competition rates of up to 4.7:1
- A total of 20 winning entries announced across general and rookie categories… Prize money (up to 10 million KRW) and free booths for the following year established
- All exhibited works, including winning entries, are on online display via the official website until August 28.
Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Information Industry Promotion Agency, and the Busan Indie Connect Festival Organizing Committee announced that they successfully concluded the ‘Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 (BIC Festival 2026, hereinafter BIC 2026)’ awards ceremony at the main stage of Hall 2, Exhibition Hall 1, BEXCO.
Under the in-depth evaluation of the judging committee, the awards were divided into a ‘General Category’ where established developers compete and a ‘Rookie Category’ highlighting the innovative attempts of student developers, with meticulous judging conducted.
In particular, this year’s awards have significantly expanded support benefits, such as prize money for each category and the provision of free booths for the following year, to encourage developers’ creative drive and promote subsequent growth.
All winning entries will be awarded a medal and an official digital emblem, while the Grand Prize and Judges’ Award winners will receive cash prizes and the privilege of free booth participation in the following year. The major winners by category, selected after careful deliberation and featuring newly established benefits, are as follows:
This Year’s Winners… General Category ‘Grand Prix’ & Rookie Category ‘Rising Star’ Announced
After fierce competition, the Grand Prix, the highest honor in the general category, was won by Noio’s ‘GARBAGE COUNTRY’ (prize money of 10 million won and a free booth for the following year), and the Rising Star, the highest award in the rookie category, went to Team Yūrei’s ‘Yūrei’ (prize money of 5 million won and a free booth for the following year).
Next, the Jury Prize, which combines originality and artistic merit, was awarded to Semo Games’ ‘Tokatonton: One-Armed Blacksmith’ (prize of 5 million won and a free booth for the following year) in the general category and ABLUE’s ‘UpBRELLA’ (free booth for the following year) in the rookie category.
List of Winners by Category (General & Rookie)
A diverse range of works also received the honor of winning in the nine categories of awards that recognize outstanding works by genre and field.
- General Section
- Social Impact: Green Umbrella ‘School Where Spring Returned’
- Audio: Wolsang Studio ‘Witch’s Lounge’
- Casual: Maowo Studio ‘Cat Squeeze’
- Action: Newcore Games’ ‘Seven Trials’
- Narrative: Idun Studio ‘Lea, Lars, Sampson, and Ivy. Their Year’
- Experimental: Banjiha Games Co., Ltd. ‘Conservation System’
- Game Design: Studio An’s ‘Necrosweeper’
- Art: lidlocks ‘Finding Polka’
- Jury Prize: Semo Games ‘Tokatonton: One-Armed Blacksmith’
- Rookie category
- Social Impact: MyTrix ‘Reptilians to the National Assembly!’
- Audio: Team Yūrei ‘Yūrei’
- Casual: Star Cluster ‘Choozle!’
- Action: Triple Kill Interactive ‘Amalgam’
- Narrative: (I)world Research Institute ‘Isekai Syndrome’
- Experimental: Team Crux ‘Folder Escape’
- Game Design: Smallboots ‘Soom’
- Art: Smallboots ‘Soom’
- Jury Prize: ABLUE ‘UpBRELLA’
Joo Sung-pil, Chairman of the BIC Organizing Committee, stated, “I thank the judging panel for discovering excellent games among the 856 entries,” adding, “I hope that the prize money and booth support newly established this year will serve as a practical stepping stone for the growth of developers, and we will continue to explore support measures for creators in the future.”
Lee Jeong-yeop, Chairman of the Judging Subcommittee, stated, “There were many high-quality entries, so we concluded the judging after deep deliberation,” adding, “Regardless of whether they win, I hope this serves as an opportunity for all creators to network, gain experience, and take a step forward at BIC.”
Meanwhile, even after the offline event concludes, the excitement of BIC 2026 continues online. Visitors can continue to play and enjoy the winning and submitted works through the online exhibition held on the official BIC website (bicfest.org) until Friday, August 28.
