Game Design Challenge Terms & Conditions

Thank you for your interest in the Arludo National Game Design Challenge (GDC). In order to participate in the GDC, your entry must comply with the below Terms & Conditions.

If you have any questions about what is included in the Terms & Conditions, please contact the Arludo team via email info@arludo.com

Failure to meet all of the Terms & Conditions will automatically disqualify an entry. Arludo reserves the right to disqualify non-conforming entries in its sole discretion and no correspondence will be entered into.

Challenge timeline

All entries must be received in full by Arludo via the online submission page by the entry deadline (see below). Received entries will be acknowledged by a confirmation email.

If you experience problems submitting your entry, contact the Arludo team via email info@arludo.com prior to the entry deadline. Arludo will not modify or add to an entry after the entry deadline. Late entries will not be accepted and no correspondence will be entered into.

Times are AEST/AEDT.

Eligibility criteria

Entry to the GDC is free and open to all primary school students between grades 4 – 6 at schools in Australia and its territories, as defined by the Australian Government. To participate, all school students must be registered by a teacher from their school and have the express permission of their parent/guardian to participate. It is the responsibility of the teacher and school to seek parent/guardian permission.  

Students between grades 4 – 6 that are educated at a home school in accordance with the relevant state or territory legislation are also eligible to enter. To participate, all homeschooled students must be registered by a parent/guardian. 

All entrants must submit their game design concept as part of a group, with a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) participants, with all participants in the group between grades 4 – 6. Submissions outside of the minimum and maximum group size or outside of grades 4 – 6 will not be considered and further correspondence will not be entered into. 

Composite classes of grades 3 & 4 (at both schools and homeschools) are the only exception that will be considered. 

Schools can enter more than one game design concept from multiple groups, however the same group cannot submit more than one game design concept and no individuals can be in more than one group.

All entrants must be registered in an Australian school to enter. 

Arludo employees and their immediate families (spouses, dependents, parents, siblings) or persons living in the same household of such employees, whether or not related, are ineligible to enter.

Arludo will determine eligibility criteria at its sole discretion.

There is no limit to the number of registrants for the competition.

Challenge registration

To participate in the GDC all groups must register their interest via the Game Design page. Teachers must register with their school email. Homeschooling parents must register with the email linked to their homeschool.

Students studying at a school in Australia that wish to participate must have their registration completed by a teacher from their school and with the consent of a parent/guardian. 

Students being homeschooled that wish to participate must have their registration completed by a parent/guardian. 

By registering for the GDC, a teacher or parent/guardian is required to accept these Terms & Conditions and accepts further email communication from Arludo in relation to the GDC. 

After registration is completed the teacher or parent/guardian will receive their GDC lesson plans and worksheets, as well as other materials to assist with the development of their game design concept. 

Teacher or parent/guardian supervision 

All game design concepts must be primarily written and designed by the student participants, however teachers or parents/guardians are required to supervise their group/s in the development of their game design concept via the provided lesson plans and worksheets. 

To access and use Discord, where students will be mentored by the Arludo Ambassadors, all students aged 13 and under are required to be registered by a parent/guardian and supervised while using the platform at all times.

After registration, groups will receive their 4 week GDC lesson plans and worksheets via email, as well as other materials to assist with the development of their game design concept.

Entry details

Entries must be submitted via the online submission page. Entries with incomplete information and hard copy entries will not be considered under any circumstance.

Entries must not contain graphic violence, coarse language, nudity or content considered abusive, racist, sexist, homophobic or in any other way discriminatory. Entries containing any inappropriate content will be immediately disqualified. 

You are responsible for making sure your entry is complete and accurate. If Arludo considers that you have provided false or misleading information, we may not progress your entry. If you find an error in your entry after submission you should contact Arludo before the entry deadline via email info@arludo.com 

If Arludo finds an error or information that is missing, we may ask for clarification or additional information from you. However, no additional information after submission will be accepted after the entry deadline.

Intellectual Property

You represent and warrant that your Entry is original, does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party, and that you have obtained all necessary permissions and releases from any third parties appearing or referenced in your Entry Arludo.

Except for winning Entry, all intellectual property rights in the entries submitted as part of the Game Design Challenge (the ‘entries’), including without limitation, patents, trademarks, trade names, trade dress, copyrights, moral rights, know-how, and any other proprietary rights of any type or nature whatsoever, whether or not registered or registerable (collectively, ‘Intellectual Property rights’), and any derivatives thereof, shall remain the property of the entrant who submitted the Entry. 

With respect to the winning Entry, the winner agrees to assign all and any Intellectual Property Rights to Arludo and sign all documents and do all things necessary to effect the assignment of the Intellectual Property, including but not limited to signing the standard Assignment of Intellectual Property Deed found here. As all the Intellectual Property Rights will be transferred to Arludo, no monetary obligations on any revenue generated in whole or in part due to winning game development will be provided to the winning team. Further,  Arludo has the right to cease the promotion of the game at any time in the future at its sole discretion.

Promotional material

Entrants who provide promotional material to Arludo as part of the GDC in the form of imagery, video or any other type of content at in person promotional events or virtual events agree to Arludo using such content for future promotional purposes. 

Personal information

The collection and use of personal information contained in your entry will be conducted in accordance with the Arludo Privacy Policy.

We may share the information we collect from you with Arludo employees and contractors, the judging panel, program sponsors and associated partners so we can:

• manage the program
• research, assess, monitor and analyse the program and related activities
• contribute to academic studies on the nature of scientific education, engagement and excellence in Australia (on an anonymous basis)

By completing an online entry form that includes your own personal details and the personal details of other people (e.g. team member names) you indicate that you are authorised to share their personal information.

Costs and expenses

There is no entry fee associated with entering the GDC.

All participants enter the GDC at their own risk and Arludo, any associated partners or program sponsors will not be liable for any loss, damage or expense incurred by the participant(s) as a result of entering the GDC.

Selection of shortlisted entries

Arludo will assess entries against the assessment criteria published on the Game Design page. 

The deliberations of Arludo in shortlisting entries remain confidential. All recommendations and decisions taken are binding and final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Arludo reserves the right to not progress an entry to shortlisting in the GDC if in their view, the quality of entry is insufficiently meritorious when reviewed against the assessment criteria.

Shortlisted entries

Shortlisted entries will be contacted by Arludo before public voting via the Arludo website begins on the 18th of September 2023. All other entries will receive a digital participation certificate.

During the public voting period, Arludo reserves the right to disqualify non-conforming entries in its sole discretion and no further correspondence will be entered into.

Once public voting is finalised at Midnight on Friday 13th October 2023, the votes will be tallied and the final top 10 teams will be announced on Wednesday the 18th of October 2023.

Award ceremony

There will be an award ceremony that will either occur in person or online. Winners will be notified on the day the top 10 teams are announced. One teacher/parent and members from each team will be asked to represent their group during the award ceremony.

Prize information

Grand Prize (one team) – The winning game design concept will be developed by Arludo, in collaboration with the winning team. Development refers to the creation of a mobile application for Android and iOS, and a version playable in a browser. The winning team will receive 3 months of mentorship with Arludo during which the game will be developed. Each member of the winning team will also receive a $250 Prepaid Visa card and the Arludo suite for their school for one year (valued at over $5000).

The winning team can choose to be as involved as they want in the development process, and they can work as little or as much as they want on their game during development. If the winning team chooses to be involved in the development process, Arludo’s development team will meet with them on a regular basis as decided by both groups (e.g., once a week or once a month) until the development is complete.

The winning team will be responsible for providing any necessary information or materials to Arludo’s development team in a timely manner. The winning team will be responsible for reviewing and providing feedback on the progress of the game development. The winning team acknowledges that the Arludo team will have the final say on any creative and technical decisions during the development process.

Second prize (one team) – Each member of the second-place team will receive a $250 Prepaid Visa card and the Arludo suite for their school for one year (valued at over $5000)

Third prize (one team) – The third-place team will receive a $200 Prepaid Visa card and the Arludo suite for their school for one year (valued at over $5000)

If you have any questions about what is included in the Terms & Conditions, please contact Arludo via email info@arludo.com