1.44MB · MapleStory Worlds · Game Off
Deadline, age, creation-date, and platform conditions differ.
OFFICIAL RULES VERIFIED · UPDATED AUGUST 30, 2026
2026 Student Game Development Competitions:
Global, Korea & U.S. Eligibility
This 2026 student game development competitions guide separates direct international entry from U.S. district, school chapter, or membership eligibility and other country-only programs. The organizer's current rules control, not dates copied from old posters.
Direct answer
What should a Grade 7 student in Korea prioritize?
As of August 30, a technically advanced student can check the 1.44MB contest, due September 4; a student age 14 or older can check MapleStory Worlds, due October 7. GitHub Game Off starts November 1. The 2026 entry windows for Shingu University, GIGDC, Student Games Festival, Apple, and Games for Change are closed. Treat CAC, TSA, SkillsUSA, and FBLA as options only when the student meets their U.S. local eligibility.
Status date: August 30, 2026. Recheck the organizer's rules immediately before entering.
AI education and EC portfolio routes by student goal
International-school coursework and EC requirements differ from science-high and gifted-school rules. Keep the routes distinct and in this order.
CIT lessons are available in person in Apgujeong and online across Korea or overseas, but lessons do not guarantee competition eligibility, submission permission, awards, or admission.
Shingu · Games for Change · GIGDC · Apple
Wait for a new official notice instead of projecting old dates.
CAC · TSA · SkillsUSA · FBLA
Check district, school chapter, membership, and qualifying routes first.
KOREA + GLOBAL
Competitions to check from Korea
"International" in a title does not guarantee entry. Check location, age, new-work rules, and build format together.
| Competition / 2026 status | Eligibility from Korea | Schedule and conditions | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shingu University National Middle & High School Game Contest ↗ 2026 entry closed | Middle/high school students and same-age out-of-school youth; solo or teams up to six. | Entry closed August 12 at 17:00 KST. Preliminary review centered on a gameplay video; the design document was optional. | Wait for the next notice. Do not reuse the 2026 dates for a future cycle. |
| 1.44MB GAME_DEV CONTEST ↗ Open | The organizer says anyone may enter; solo or team. | Closes September 4. New standalone game, made after announcement, at most 1,474,560 bytes decompressed; no browser game. | Advanced technical challenge. The page conflicts on exact closing time, so submit early. |
| MapleStory Worlds Global Creator Challenge ↗ Open | Korean participants must be at least 14. Minor finalists need guardian consent. | Closes October 7 at 11:00 KST. The World must be newly released during the entry period. | Age-conditional. Judging: IP expansion 40%, quality/stability 40%, sustainability 20%. |
| GitHub Game Off 2026 ↗ November | Global online jam; public GitHub repository and itch.io entry required. | November 1-December 1; peer voting. GitHub accounts generally require age 13+. | Portfolio jam, not student-only. Useful for a public build and visible development history. |
| Games for Change Student Challenge ↗ Next cycle TBD | The program serves ages 10-25. Students outside the U.S. can be considered for Best International Game. | The site now showcases 2026 winners; no next entry date is announced. | International student option. Express the social issue through mechanics, not just text. |
| GIGDC Middle & High School Division ↗ 2026 entry closed | Korean middle/high school students and out-of-school youth; planning and production tracks. | The 2026 window ran June 8 at 10:00 through June 25 at 15:00; no next annual notice is published. | Long-term Korea target. The production track required a build, gameplay video, and summary plan of no more than five pages. |
| Student Games Festival ↗ 2026 entry closed | Worldwide higher-education students/recent graduates and high school students; guardian consent for minors; teams up to six. | Entries closed June 30. Rules required ten minutes of gameplay, a 2-5 minute video, and disclosure of tools, assets, and generative-AI use. | Advanced high-school option. The final is in Warsaw October 8-9. |
| Apple Swift Student Challenge ↗ 2026 entry closed | Minimum age 14 in Korea, plus student-status rules. | Entry closed February 28 at 23:59 PST. The 2026 rules required one offline-reviewable app playground up to 25 MB and full AI-use disclosure. | Not game-specific. Recheck the next cycle's terms when published. |
U.S. ELIGIBILITY PATHWAYS
U.S. district, school chapter, or membership required
Important: These are not open international entries merely because work can be submitted in English. The eligibility gateway is U.S. district participation or a school organization's chapter, membership, and qualification route.
Congressional App Challenge
U.S. districtGames can be submitted as apps. A student must reside in or attend middle/high school in the participating congressional district, and that member of Congress must host the contest. The 2026 student registration and submission deadline is October 26.
Official 2026 student rules ↗TSA Video Game Design
Chapter/memberA Technology Student Association middle/high school event. Students need a school TSA chapter, membership, and their state's qualification route. The official descriptions cover a themed E-rated online game, documentation, and a semifinal interview at high-school level, with a presentation and interview at middle-school level.
Official TSA competition list ↗SkillsUSA Interactive Application & Video Game Development
Chapter/state routeThis is a two-person team event reached through SkillsUSA chapters and state pathways, and it includes a middle-school division. The official description calls for an original prototype or sample with at least one level and ten minutes of interactive content. It is not a direct global individual submission.
Official SkillsUSA description ↗FBLA Computer Game & Simulation Programming
Member/state routeAn FBLA High School individual-or-team presentation event, with state selection and national registration requirements. The 2025-2026 material remains visible; the official page says 2026-2027 topics and guidelines will go live at the beginning of September.
Official FBLA events ↗COUNTRY-RESTRICTED
Other country-only programs
Australian STEM Video Game Challenge
Registration closed; registered teams submittingAustralian studentsApplicants must be Australian citizens or residents enrolled in Years 3-12 at an Australian school, or homeschooled in Australia; teams have 1-4 students. Registration closed August 7 at 9 p.m. AEST. Already registered teams may submit through September 9 at 9 p.m. AEST, but new teams cannot register during the submission period.
Official schedule and Challenge page ↗BAFTA Young Game Designers
2026 closedUK residentsA program for ages 10-18, but with a UK residence requirement. The official page now presents 2026 winners and says entries are closed.
Official BAFTA page ↗VALIDATION NOTES
Do not present these as confirmed current contests
Rookie Game Contest
An organizer-hosted 2025 event exists, but no confirmed 2026 notice was located. Do not reuse 2025 dates.
Hanyang ERICA Python Game Coding
Previous editions existed, but no official 2026 notice was located. Recheck age, language, and deadline when a new notice appears.
Scholastic Video Game Design
Scholastic officially discontinued the category beginning in 2021. Current U.S. competition lists should not include it.
Official notice ↗GGJ NEXT is a youth game jam, not primarily an award contest
GGJ NEXT serves ages 10-18 through schools, clubs, registered sites, or an individual route. Its official 2026 operating window ran November 15, 2025 through March 15, 2026 and is over. Do not project a 2027 GGJ NEXT schedule before a new official notice.
Official GGJ NEXT page ↗ONE-GAME STRATEGY
Do not build a different game for every contest
CIT's suggested starting point for a Grade 7 student is one student-explainable 5-10 minute 2D game, improved through repeated playtests. Each contest's rules still control prior release, cross-entry, creation date, and required package.
1. Game
One core mechanic, clear win/loss state, three stages, stable web/Windows builds.
2. Evidence
Repeated playtests, versions, Git commits, student roles, and permitted AI-use records.
3. Package
The exact build, video, design document, sources, copyright, and licenses required by the contest.
Student authorship, AI use, and online-lesson boundary
The student must lead the game's idea, code, design decisions, testing, and explanation. Use generative AI or outside assets only where the competition permits them, and record the tool, scope, revisions, and licenses. CIT may teach and give feedback, but it does not create or submit an entry for the student and cannot guarantee eligibility, awards, school submission permission, or admission.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can a student in Korea directly enter U.S. student game competitions online?+
Online submission and eligibility are separate. CAC requires U.S. residence plus residence or school attendance in a participating district; TSA, SkillsUSA, and FBLA require school chapters, membership, and qualification routes. If those gates are not met, check a route whose current official rules allow global participation.
Which engine is best for a Grade 7 entrant?+
Unity is useful for conventional executable builds and C# experience, Godot for fast small 2D iterations, and Phaser for browser delivery. Scope, stability, and the student's ability to explain the code matter more than the engine.
Can students use AI-generated art or code?+
Check each competition's current rules. When AI is allowed, record the tool, use, revisions, and data or asset licenses, and distinguish what the student independently designed, coded, and tested. MapleStory Worlds, Apple, Student Games Festival, and Australian STEM VGC each impose different disclosure or originality conditions.
Can the same game be entered in several contests?+
Not automatically. The 1.44MB contest requires work created after its announcement, while MapleStory Worlds requires first public release during the entry period. Check prior-publication, cross-entry, and previous-award clauses before every submission.
Method and official sources
This guide prioritizes current organizer notices and official rules over search snippets, aggregator pages, and old posters. Entries found only in older cycles are labeled unconfirmed; discontinued programs are separated. Recheck all eligibility and dates before submission.
Shingu UniversityOfficial 2026 noticeGIGDCOfficial 2026 scheduleGames for ChangeOfficial competition pageCongressional App ChallengeOfficial 2026 student rules
Reviewed . CIT's priorities reflect age fit, access, and learning value; they are not organizer rankings.