DiGRAA was delighted to introduce two new awards in 2023: the DiGRAA Best Publication Award and the DiGRAA Best Thesis Award. These awards recognise high quality research and new knowledge generated by the DiGRAA Game Studies community. There is no preference regarding the nature of the research or the exact approach utilised: research can be qualitative or quantitative, theoretical or applied, and focused on play, play cultures, or industry.
Applications
To apply, select the award you are nominating for and address the two criteria: Contribution and Innovation.
- The contribution statement should summarise what the publication/thesis accomplishes, and what new knowledge or understanding it contributes to the field.
- The innovation statement should describe how you believe this contribution advances scholarly work in the field of game studies, and/or the impact you believe it will have.
Each criteria has a maximum word limit of 250 words. You must also upload your output; this will not be shared publicly and will only be used by the selection committee. Nominations should be submitted here.
Applications for each award close on December 31 each year. The winners will be announced at the following year’s annual general meeting (i.e. 2025 awards are made at the 2026 AGM). Winners do not need to attend to receive the award. Submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee assembled by the DiGRAA board. All decisions of the DiGRAA Awards Committee are final.
Eligibility
- You must be a DiGRAA member to apply for the award. See how to become a member here.
- For the DiGRAA Best Publication Award, eligible publications include peer-reviewed chapters in an edited collection, journal articles and conference papers (minimum 7 pages, published in proceedings).
- Your publication must have been published within the current calendar year. We consider the ‘Online First’ date the original date of publication.
- You can submit a maximum of one publication where you are lead author for consideration in each calendar year.
- For the Best Thesis Award, your thesis must have been approved for award by an Australian or New Zealand institution. You do not need to have had your graduation ceremony.
- If a publication/thesis is submitted for consideration in one year, it will not be considered again in subsequent years, irrespective of its final date of publication or thesis conferral date.
- You cannot nominate someone else’s publication for consideration for this award. Only self-nominations will be accepted.
Past Winners
2024
Best Publication Award (tied):
Dr Stephanie Harkin for the publication entitled ‘Gendered engines: episode and Dorian’s gamemaking toolkits‘.
The team of Ben Hall and Dr Lawrence May for the publication entitled ‘Thinking Ecologically with Battlefield 2042‘.
Best Thesis: Dr Andrea Andiloro for the PhD thesis entitled ‘Something in the Air: A Phenomenology of Videogame Atmosphere‘.
2023
Best Thesis: Craig Hargraves for the Masters thesis entitled ‘The Effects of an Alternate Reality Game on Students’ Sense of Belonging and Student Engagement‘.
No Best Publication awarded.
DiGRAA Awards Committee
The current DiGRAA committee members are: Dr Jacqueline Burgess (chair), Dr Lawrence May and Dr Stephanie Harkin.
The 2024 DiGRAA committee members were: Professor Marcus Carter (co-chair), Dr Jacqueline Burgess (co-chair) and Dr Lawrence May.
The inaugural members of the 2023 DiGRAAA Committee were: Professor Marcus Carter (co-chair), Dr Jacqueline Burgess (co-chair), Dr Melissa Rogerson and Dr Brendan Keogh.