Dare to be Digital 2011

Dare to be Digital, which is hosted and run by the University of Abertay Dundee, has received £85,700 towards the 2011 programme. The funding will enable international teams from more countries to take part in the contest, which is a showcase for talented computer science and arts students in the UK and abroad.

For the first time, teams from Finland and Iceland will be given the opportunity to participate, alongside existing funding for applications from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, China and India.

The three winners of the contest each year go forward for the unique BAFTA ‘Ones to Watch’ award. This year’s prize was won by a team of Swedish and Scottish students. The Swedish students' participation was made possible by Scottish Government support.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said:

"Scottish creativity and our great strengths in the computer games industry are internationally-renowned. Through our Creative Industries Strategy, we intend to build on that reputation and on the talent that already exists in Scotland in order to secure economic growth.

"The world-class educational provision available at Abertay University and the international scope of Dare to be Digital are making an important contribution to Scotland's global reputation and the success of our creative industries sector."

Dr Louis Natanson, Academic Director of the Institute of Arts, Media and Computer Games at Abertay University, said:

“We are very pleased that Dare to be Digital is able to accept teams from Finland and Iceland this year thanks to Scottish Government support.

“Dare to be Digital is an incredible opportunity for game design professionals just starting out on their career to learn all about the industry, meet world-leading business people, and benefit from the internationally recognised games education offered at Abertay University.”

He added:

“The funding will allow one team from the Nordic countries to come to Scotland. There will be a fierce competition already among the Nordic countries before the final winner will join Dare. We are expecting a very high standard of potential teams.”

Applications for the world-leading game design competition are open until April 3 at http://www.daretobedigital.com

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For media enquiries, please contact Chris Wilson (Communications Officer) – T: 01382 308935 M: 07837 250284 E: chris.wilson@abertay.ac.uk

About Dare to be Digital:

Dare to be Digital is a video game development competition for undergraduates at universities and colleges of art, organised and run by the University of Abertay Dundee.

Teams of student programmers and artists compete in an intensive 'hot-house' development environment over the summer vacation, building fully-functioning prototypes for assessment by industry judges and a public vote at Dare ProtoPlay in August.

The three winning teams from Dare to be Digital each year become the sole nominees for the BAFTA ‘Ones to Watch’ Award.

See http://www.daretobedigital.com for more information and to apply.

The Scottish Government’s Creative Industries Strategy was launched on Monday 21, 2011 and can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/03/21093900