- Applications open on April 8… Competitive and non-competitive categories expanded, ‘Prime Indie’ newly established
- Held in August as a hybrid festival… Expected to be a venue for global indie game exchange
Submissions for indie game entries for the global indie game festival ‘Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 (hereinafter BIC 2026)’, jointly organized by Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Information Industry Promotion Agency, and the Busan Indie Connect Festival Organizing Committee (hereinafter BIC Organizing Committee), will begin at 3 p.m. on April 8.
[Related Article: Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026, Online Business Briefing Unveiled]
Submissions for BIC 2026 indie games are divided into competitive and non-competitive categories. The General Category, a competitive section, targets works currently under development or released within the last year, while the Rookie Category is open to students, unemployed individuals born between 2002 and 2012, and graduation projects from game-related educational institutions. The Connect Pick, a non-competitive section, allows for broader participation by accepting submissions of works released more than one year ago or those with a history of previous BIC exhibitions.
The application period varies by category. Applications for the General category are accepted from April 8 to May 14, for the Rookie category from April 8 to June 17, and for Connect Pick from April 15 to May 26. The start and end times for all applications are the same at 3:00 PM KST.
The submission process also varies depending on the characteristics of each category. For the General and Rookie categories, the submission of a playable build for evaluation is mandatory, and large files exceeding 2GB may be submitted via an external link. On the other hand, for Connect Pick, the submission of a gameplay video link is mandatory, while links to the game build and release markets are optional. Regarding the selection method, the General and Rookie categories undergo evaluation by professional judges, whereas the Connect Pick is ultimately decided through voting by Big Connectors.
The BIC Organizing Committee recommends applying as early as possible, as applications may be concentrated on the deadline. Detailed eligibility requirements and exhibition regulations can be checked through the application guide on the official BIC website, and the selection results are scheduled to be announced between the fourth week of June and the first week of July.
BIC 2026 will host an online festival from August 7 to 28, while the offline festival will be held from August 14 to 16 at Hall 2 of Exhibition Center 1, BEXCO, Busan. Through a hybrid operation encompassing both online and offline elements, it is expected to become a venue for more diverse interaction between domestic and international developers and gamers.
Meanwhile, the BIC Organizing Committee is recruiting official sponsors and Public Indie participating organizations, while simultaneously establishing and operating a new non-competitive category called ‘Prime Indie.’ Prime Indie targets indie game development studios managing multiple projects or publishing companies directly involved in development, and operates as a paid booth. This program was designed to reflect the demand for expanded exhibition formats and business networking.
“BIC is a venue where indie game developers can showcase their work and meet gamers and industry professionals in person,” said Joo Sung-pil, Chairman of the BIC Organizing Committee. “As we have expanded the participation options this year to include Prime Indie in addition to the General, Rookie, and Connect Pick categories, we hope that a wider range of creators and companies will be able to make new connections and opportunities through BIC.”
Further details can be found on the official BIC website and official social media channels.
