Open call: Women game designers across Africa and other regions

The programme aims to promote equal opportunities in the Swiss and international game industry and support greater representation of women in management and leadership positions through mentoring and engagement with experienced international professionals.

The call is open to emerging game developers and studios whose relevant professional training or registration as self-employed individuals, sole proprietors or companies dates back less than seven years.

Applicants must have a connection to Switzerland or be resident in one of the eligible countries.

Eligibility and selection criteria

Projects should involve digital content designed for platforms such as:

• Mixed-reality devices
• Computers
• Game consoles
• Mobile devices

Applicants should also demonstrate:

• Clearly defined participation and career objectives.
• Originality, feasibility and innovation.
• Market potential.
• Ownership of copyright and relevant usage rights.
• A clearly defined project with significant interactive content.

Projects that are commissioned or form part of advertising or promotional campaigns are excluded. Purely technological projects without clear narrative or aesthetic content are also ineligible.

Programme support

Selected participants will receive:

• Individual coaching and expert sessions covering project development, business strategy, finance, marketing, public relations and pitching.
• Access to a growing community of women game developers.
• Potential opportunities to participate in international trade fairs.
• CHF 3,000 (about $3700) towards the production of a prototype or demo version.

Participants with childcare responsibilities may also apply for financial support of up to CHF 250 per week towards childcare or travel costs for their children and, where necessary, a carer when attending international trade fairs. Applicants must submit a budget for the anticipated expenses in advance.

Application requirements

Applicants must submit:

• A short CV, including education or training, nationality and residency status in Switzerland.
• A project description of no more than 10 A4 pages, covering the type and genre of the game, gameplay, platform, development stage, target audience and relevant visual material.
• A project portfolio.
• A statement outlining their expectations and objectives for participating in the programme.

Applications should be submitted in English. German, French or Italian applications may also be accepted where English is not possible.

Key dates

• Applications open: 1 July 2026
• Deadline: Apply here before 1 September 2026 at 23:59 CEST
• Decision notification: November 2026
• Earliest project start: 1 January 2027

The six-month programme will be delivered in English and requires approximately 30 hours of participation in mentoring sessions, lectures and presentations, excluding additional time that may be required for events or international trade fairs.

An online information session about the programme will be held in English on 5 August 2026 from 2p.m. to 3p.m. CEST.

Eligible applicants from Africa include professionals resident in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The programme is also open to eligible applicants from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, as well as selected countries in East Asia, South America and South Asia and Vietnam.

Interested applicants can attend the online information session and submit their applications by the September deadline.

View the original call here.