The twenty second BAFTA Games Awards will happen on April 17, 2026, and the nomination course of is already underway. However have you ever ever questioned how the awards are judged?
It seems that there is a very prolonged and concerned course of behind all of it.
Emma Baehr, BAFTA’s government director of awards and content material, is the one who oversees every thing behind the scenes. Not solely is she concerned in checking out the logistics and manufacturing of the awards occasion itself, she additionally manages the workforce behind the judging course of.
“It is actually the engine of all of it,” she says. “All the pieces from the guidelines, the eligibility, the juries, to creating positive every thing’s completely right and truthful and inclusive is completed by that workforce.”
Preliminary nominations
The primary a part of the awards course of is fielding nominations from BAFTA members. Total, BAFTA has almost 14,000 members throughout movie, tv, and video games, however solely the 1,400 or so members concerned in the video games trade are permitted to submit nominations for the BAFTA Games Awards.
There are at the moment 17 awards classes (plus the fellowship award, which is set by a committee and ratified by the board). For many of the classes – equivalent to Finest Recreation, Debut Recreation, British Recreation, and so forth – all of the simply over 1,400 BAFTA video games members can submit nominations.
Nevertheless, there are six specialist classes – Creative Achievement, Audio Achievement, Recreation Design, Performer in a Main Function, Performer in a Supporting Function, and Technical Achievement – that are restricted to chapter voting.
Inside the BAFTA video games membership, there are plenty of specialist chapters that collect collectively consultants particularly areas, equivalent to artwork, audio, or efficiency. Solely members of the associated chapter can nominate video games for considered one of the specialist classes.
So, for instance, solely members of the efficiency chapter can nominate video games for the two efficiency award classes.
Baehr says {that a} chapter should have not less than 100 members, including that BAFTA is shifting in the direction of extra chapter voting. “That is one thing we have carried out in movie for years, however 1756386701 we’re doing it in video games, the place we’re constructing a chapter of experience inside that subject for that class.
“Which means we all know that we have actually specialist expertise.”
For the first time this 12 months, Creative Achievement, Audio Achievement, and each efficiency classes will likely be voted for by their respective chapters, whereas beforehand the entire BAFTA video games membership voted on these classes.
In any other case, there have not been any substantial adjustments this 12 months, says Baehr, “as a result of what we do not do at BAFTA is usher in a class after which take it out subsequent 12 months.”
That stated, BAFTA does do common evaluations of the awards rulebook (which is publicly available) to make sure it stays present and reflective of what is taking place in the trade.
“We’re trying years forward as properly,” says Baehr. “What do we all know that is coming in? The place would possibly there be completely different candidates for nomination?”
That is all carried out in session with BAFTA’s video games committee. “They are our sounding board,” says Baehr. “So we will sense examine, we will stress check every thing. We will get all this priceless recommendation from them.”
The committee meets month-to-month and is made up of individuals working in the video games trade. Committee members are voted for by BAFTA members and serve for set durations – the present chair is Tara Saunders, former head of PlayStation London Studio.
Lengthy record to brief record
As soon as all of the nominations have been gathered, an extended record of the ten most voted for video games for every class is printed – which is able to occur on December 9 this 12 months.
Then, it is time for juries to whittle down these prime ten lists to the last six nominations for every class.
Baehr says that the membership of every jury is set on by the video games committee and her workforce. Round half of every jury is made up of BAFTA video games members, and the different half is made up of individuals from the wider video games trade who are at the moment not BAFTA members.
“It is a actually great way for individuals to get into BAFTA,” says Baehr, by the use of explaining why BAFTA seeks out non-members for its juries. “Our membership is rising, nevertheless it’s not big in comparison with movie and TV. So this can be a actually great way [for] individuals to get to know BAFTA and find out about it, and hopefully be part of as a member.”
The jury conferences happen over Zoom calls, which Baehr says is preferable to in-person conferences as a result of it means the judging will be international, accessible, and all-inclusive, permitting for “a various vary of voices”.
“We will do […] signal language in these conferences as properly,” she provides.
Every jury for every class is chaired by a member of the video games committee – though Baehr says that in circumstances the place there are not sufficient committee members to go round, a jury may be chaired by a earlier committee member or a earlier member of the board.
“The chairs all get jury coaching,” she notes. “We have now somebody are available and prepare them about tips on how to chair a jury and tips on how to be truthful in course of, tips on how to convey everyone in. [It’s] actually, actually, actually important that everyone will get their voice heard.
“In any dialogue, you are going to have extra those that wish to speak. So everyone’s introduced in, each title is mentioned. Even when individuals are not feeling like that [game is] essentially going to make it by way of, they’ll talk about it at size.”
Baehr says these behind closed doorways discussions will be vigorous. “The conversations in the room are fascinating,” she says. “You are with all of your friends having a very good debate about the video games you have performed, and everyone in there may be passionate.”
She provides that there are strict guidelines round juries, members of which are forbidden from having any conflicts of curiosity concerning the video games they’re judging. They have to even have performed every of the ten video games chosen for the class they’re assigned to.
The make-up of every jury is stored secret all through the voting course of to ensure they are not topic to exterior affect, however the full record of who was on every jury is printed at round the time of the award ceremony.
“We do not need individuals sitting on the similar jury 12 months after 12 months”
Emma Baehr, BAFTA
We ask whether or not BAFTA takes variety into consideration when appointing juries: for instance, making certain that there is a mixture of gender and ethnicity on every panel.
“All the pieces’s bought to be a broad combine,” says Baehr. “So we do take a look at all that. It is bought to be a mixture of variety in the broadest sense, so [a] illustration of voice[s] and from underrepresented teams.
“The opposite factor is, we do not need individuals sitting on the similar jury 12 months after 12 months. So you’ll be able to’t sit on the similar jury […] two years in a row, as a result of […] you’ll be able to’t maintain dipping from the similar pool. You want to be sure you’ve bought wider [representation] and that we have different experience coming in.”
As a follow-up, we ponder whether BAFTA is making an effort to incorporate individuals from lower-income and dealing class backgrounds – particularly since a report last year discovered that the video games trade has a horrible document in terms of socioeconomic entry.
“We’re inclusive of everybody,” Baehr responds. “No matter your background, you’ll be able to apply [for] membership, you’ll be able to enter the awards.”
She factors to BAFTA’s bursaries and scholarships, with £500,000 awarded over the final two years, in addition to BAFTA’s programmes to encourage younger individuals to get entangled in movie, video games, and TV, equivalent to the Young Game Designers competitors.
Baehr provides that a part of the purpose why half of the jury members are chosen from exterior BAFTA is to make sure illustration. “It is bought to be about ensuring that our jurors are chosen to symbolize a broad mixture of experiences and backgrounds,” she says.
“We are likely to have individuals from completely different ranges of seniority. We would like these seasoned consultants, clearly, however we would like new rising voices as properly.”
Shock ending
In terms of narrowing the ten long-listed video games right down to the last six nominations for every class, Baehr says the jury voting is all performed secretly over BAFTA’s programs, in order that even the chair would not know the way jury members have voted.
“Then the nominations are given to them. And from that, they’ve one other dialogue about every of these six.”
After that, there is a last spherical of secret voting. “However no one sees the winner at that time,” says Baehr. “Even the workforce right here do not see it. It is carried out by Deloitte, so it goes on to our scrutineers, who take a look at the [winner].”
Proper up till the envelope is opened at the awards ceremony in April, solely a tiny handful of people know the final result of the voting – which implies that Baehr has to arrange for all potential outcomes.
“All the pieces’s carried out in order that we’re prepared if something ought to win.”
However even with all of this cautious planning and guidelines to make sure equity, is there nonetheless a possibility for bias to creep in? For instance, is there a leaning in the direction of British-made video games in the BAFTA Games Awards?
“Effectively, I feel we’re fairly consultant of world video games,” says Baehr. “Actually, by way of individuals coming and folks being entered, it appears to be an excellent combine.”
She provides that there are steps to make sure truthful and strong conversations in juries, “so I do know there is not any bias in that. However we clearly have a British class as a result of we are the BAFTAs, in order that’s actually necessary. And we wish to showcase and help British video games.”
In case you’re all in favour of getting concerned in the BAFTA Games Awards course of and maybe nominating some video games your self, there’s nonetheless time to affix – simply.
The present BAFTA membership round for individuals concerned in the video games trade closes on August 29, 2025, so there is a small window to get your utility in.
Baehr says the means of turning into a full voting member of BAFTA is pretty easy. “You do not have to be seconded or something like that. You simply apply.”
“To be eligible, you must work in display screen industries, clearly: movie, tv, or video games,” she explains. “It’s a must to have labored on a sport printed in the UK – so you do not have to be British.” (The truth is, 18% of BAFTA members are from the US, in line with BAFTA’s newest membership statistics.)
“You do not have to have gained a BAFTA to use,” she provides, “however you do have to have a major contribution to the display screen arts in the UK.”
Which means round 5 years of expertise in the trade in a key artistic, head of division, or senior government function.
Along with this, candidates should fulfil considered one of three standards: they have to be at the moment working for a UK broadcaster, distributor, manufacturing firm, or trade physique; they have to be at the moment working for a BAFTA-nominated or BAFTA-winning video games studio; or they have to be a BAFTA winner or nominee or have made a major total artistic contribution to the international movie, video games, or TV industries.
Baehr says BAFTA is eager to welcome as many individuals as potential, in addition to encouraging the youthful technology to pursue video video games as a profession by way of the Young BAFTA programme.
“We’re all about bringing individuals into trade.”