Your questions, answered.
FAQs
Who can apply to the NOVA Fellows Program, what to send, how the grant works and how NOVA Fellows are chosen.
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The program
The NOVA Fellows Program is the Nova Games Foundation’s grant program for recent and upcoming graduates of affiliated university game programs. NOVA Fellows receive $100,000 USD in philanthropic funding, industry mentorship, and visibility support to bring their game design vision from concept to playable prototype.
Each NOVA Fellow receives three kinds of support: game grants, industry mentorship, and creator visibility.
- Game grants: $100,000 USD of philanthropic financial support to develop an original project, with creators keeping full ownership of their work and their vision.
- Industry mentorship: guidance from experienced professionals across the games industry, bringing their perspective and insight to each Fellow’s creative journey.
- Creator visibility: support in connecting with the industry, expanding your network, and building awareness for you and your work.
Nova Games Foundation is a non-profit founded by Mark Cerny and Geoff Keighley to create new opportunities for exceptional game creators. It supports graduating students and recent graduates of 13 partner universities with philanthropic game grants, industry mentorship, and creator visibility.
NOVA supports creators who see games as a creative and expressive medium, with the power to offer meaningful artistic, cultural, and human experiences. We support games that tell profound stories, illuminate cultures, foster empathy, challenge assumptions, and deepen our understanding of the world.
We are not looking for a commercial pitch or proof of market value. We are looking for distinctive new voices and ideas that can push the medium forward.
Applications for the NOVA Fellows Program open on December 7, 2026 and close on January 10, 2027. NOVA Fellows are expected to be announced by the end of March 2027, and NOVA support begins when you are available to make a full commitment to the project; e.g., those still in games studies receive support after graduation.
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Eligibility
You are eligible for the NOVA Fellows Program if you have received, or expect to receive, a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an eligible game program at a NOVA-affiliated university, and you have graduated between September 1, 2025 and August 31, 2027. You also need to have an original game idea and be ready to lead its development.
Additional eligibility requirements apply to all programs. Check your program and graduating class.
No. The NOVA Fellows Program is for recent and upcoming graduates: you can apply if you have received, or expect to receive, your degree from an eligible game program by August 31, 2027.
The eligibility window is the same for every program: September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2027. Check your eligibility here.
NOVA Fellow Grants are open to graduates of eligible game programs at 13 affiliated universities:
- Abertay University
- Carnegie Mellon University, Entertainment Technology Center
- CNAM-ENJMIN, National School of Games and Interactive Digital Media
- DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond Campus
- New York University, NYU Game Center
- RMIT University
- Sheridan College
- TH Köln, Cologne Game Lab
- U-tad, University Center for Technology and Digital Art
- University of Central Florida
- University of Southern California, USC Games
- University of Utah, The Utah Division of Games
- Uppsala University, Campus Gotland
Use the eligibility checker: pick your university and program, then the month and year you graduate, and it will tell you whether your graduating class falls within the eligibility window.
Additional eligibility requirements apply to all programs.
NOVA Fellow Grants are open to graduates of NOVA’s affiliated universities, and more universities are to come.
If you teach at or lead a game program, we are always interested in connecting with educators who share our belief in the next generation of creators. Get in touch.
Please contact NOVA or your university liaison. We can evaluate whether your degree should be on the list and update our eligibility list accordingly, if appropriate.
No, projects already underway are not eligible for funding.
NOVA does not sponsor visas or provide assistance with U.S. visa or immigration matters. However, you do not need to remain in the United States to participate: you may create your game in another country and receive grant funds so long as we can legally send grant payments there.
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Applying
NOVA Fellow Applications open on December 7, 2026 and close on January 10, 2027.
Sign up for updates and we will tell you when they open.
When the application window opens on December 7, 2026, a link to the NOVA Fellow Application will appear on this website. It collects your profile information and guides you through the application, and you can pause and resume at any point while the window is open.
The NOVA Fellow Application asks for a link to your portfolio and four documents:
- Your game concept
- Your execution plan
- Your faculty letter of recommendation
- Your personal statement, as a video
The game concept is a high-level description, 8 to 10 pages long, of the new game you intend to develop. Present your original game idea, its creative direction, and how you intend to bring it to life.
NOVA’s Game Concept Guidelines will be available soon.
The execution plan describes how you envision translating your vision into a playable prototype with the funding available from the Foundation. We are particularly interested in how applicants will make thoughtful and effective use of the available funding over a typical 6–12-month project timeline, with this project representing their primary creative and professional commitment during that period.
NOVA’s Execution Plan Guidelines will be available soon.
A faculty member who is familiar with your work in games. They should speak to your creative ability, artistic vision, and potential to bring your vision to life, with specific examples where possible.
The Personal Statement is an opportunity for us to get to know you beyond the project described in your application. In a 2–3 minute video, consider questions such as why you chose games as a career, what games mean to you as a medium, and what kind of game creator or creative leader you aspire to become.
Think like a creative director introducing your vision to a team. Show your creative voice, a clear direction, and evidence that you can bring your idea to life.
Focus on what your game can express, rather than market trends or proof of commercial value.
No, applications must come from an individual and be their own work. We understand that NOVA Fellows in many cases will work as part of a team to develop their games, but we ask that the game concept and application be the work of a single individual.
No. Each individual can only submit one application for a specific idea. If you have multiple ideas, please choose the idea that you feel is the strongest and best aligned with the Foundation’s focus on games as art.
No. Only NOVA Fellows are eligible to apply for NOVA Luminary Grants.
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Funding and ownership
Each NOVA Fellow receives $100,000 USD in philanthropic funding, paid as the project hits development milestones. NOVA Fellows are also eligible to apply for an additional $500,000 USD through the NOVA Luminary Grant.
It means the money is a grant and not an investment: you do not give up any ownership in exchange for it and there is no repayment required. NOVA Fellows keep full ownership of their work and their vision, and creative control. The technical term for this is non-dilutive funding.
Grant recipients finalize their project milestones and sign a grant agreement with NOVA before receiving funding and other Foundation support. NOVA then pays the $100,000 USD as the project hits those development milestones.
Details of the Grant Agreement will be available soon.
NOVA Fellows typically create their project over a 6–12-month timeline, from concept to playable prototype, with the project remaining their primary focus throughout that period.
The NOVA Luminary Grant is $500,000 USD in additional funding that NOVA Fellows making exceptional progress can apply for. Fellows awarded a Luminary Grant receive this additional support to move their games from prototype toward publication.
Yes, but the corporation must be formed solely to develop the game, and it must sign an assignment and assumption agreement agreeing to the terms of the grant agreement. Foundation funds cannot be used to establish the corporation.
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Selection
NOVA Fellows are chosen in two rounds of review after applications close on January 10, 2027. Eligibility and Round One Review narrow the field to 50 NOVA Finalists in February 2027; in Round Two Review, we select NOVA Fellows from the Finalists. We contact those chosen as NOVA Fellows in March 2027.
We are looking for clear, compelling creative direction and evidence that you can translate your vision into reality.
Round One Review takes place in January and February 2027, and we notify NOVA Finalists by the end of February. NOVA Finalists are reviewed in March 2027, and the NOVA Fellows are announced by the end of March 2027.
If you are selected as a NOVA Fellow, you finalize your project milestones with NOVA and sign a grant agreement before receiving funding and other Foundation support. NOVA support begins when you are available to make a full commitment to the project; e.g., those still in games studies receive support after graduation.
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Staying in touch
We are always interested in connecting with educators who share our belief in the next generation of creators, and we expect the network to expand in the years to come. Tell us about your program.
For questions about eligibility, partnerships, funding, or press, send NOVA a message or email info@novagamesfoundation.org.
Sign up for NOVA updates on our programs and other initiatives, or follow NOVA on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Our grant eligibility and application process are under review and subject to change. Last updated