With Gamescom now firmly in the past, the editorial team at GamesIndustry.biz has turned its attention to the evaluation process for this year’s Best Places To Work Awards. While the primary award categories have already closed their entry windows and will be judged on the basis of anonymous feedback from employees, we have decided to keep the nomination window open a little longer for a series of Special Awards. These Special Awards are designed to spotlight companies that demonstrate exceptional performance in particular domains such as diversity, environmental stewardship, human resources excellence, and community impact.
The deadline for submitting nominations for the Special Awards has been extended to midnight on Monday, 7 September. Unlike the core Best Places to Work categories, which are limited to a select group of organisations, these special recognitions are open to any UK‑based business that operates within, or collaborates with, the games industry. Whether you are a developer, a publisher, a service provider, or a support organisation, you are eligible to put forward a candidate for consideration.
The list of Special Award categories includes: - **The Diversity Award** – honouring firms that have made measurable strides in building inclusive workplaces and promoting representation across gender, ethnicity, ability, and other dimensions of diversity. - **The Green Award** – celebrating companies that have implemented effective sustainability initiatives, reduced carbon footprints, or pioneered eco‑friendly practices in game production and distribution. - **HR Hero Award** – recognising outstanding human‑resources leadership, innovative talent‑management strategies, and programmes that enhance employee engagement and satisfaction.
- **Training and Development Award** – acknowledging organisations that invest heavily in upskilling their staff, offering robust learning pathways, mentorship schemes, and continuous professional development opportunities. - **Education Award** – highlighting contributions to educational outreach, partnerships with academic institutions, or the creation of learning resources that nurture the next generation of game‑industry talent.
- **Corporate Social Responsibility Award** – rewarding businesses that demonstrate a strong commitment to social good, community involvement, charitable initiatives, and ethical business practices. - **Health and Well‑Being Award** – focusing on companies that prioritise the mental and physical health of their workforce through comprehensive wellness programmes, supportive policies, and a culture that encourages work‑life balance.
Nominations may be submitted by anyone with insight into the nominee’s performance – this includes internal employees, external partners, clients, or even industry observers who have witnessed the organisation’s achievements first‑hand. All submissions will be reviewed by an independent judging panel next week, ensuring a fair and unbiased assessment before the awards ceremony scheduled for 1 October. In addition to the awards, we would like to remind you that tickets are still on sale for the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit.
This year’s summit is themed around the future of People & Work, exploring how the industry can adapt to evolving workforce expectations, emerging technologies, and shifting cultural norms. The summit will take place during the day preceding the awards ceremony, offering a valuable opportunity to network with peers, hear from thought‑leaders, and gain actionable insights that can be applied within your own organisation. If you have a company that excels in any of the areas outlined above, now is the perfect moment to put that success in the spotlight.
Submitting a nomination not only gives your organisation a chance to be publicly recognised for its hard work, but also contributes to a broader conversation about best practices within the UK games sector. By highlighting exemplary initiatives, we hope to inspire other companies to adopt similar strategies, ultimately raising the overall standard of workplace quality across the industry.
To submit a nomination, simply visit the awards portal, select the appropriate category, and provide a concise yet compelling description of why the nominee deserves the accolade. Supporting evidence such as statistics, case studies, or testimonials can strengthen the application, but the core of each entry should focus on tangible outcomes and the impact of the programme or policy in question. We look forward to receiving your entries and to celebrating the organisations that are leading the way in creating better, more inclusive, and more sustainable workplaces for everyone involved in making games.