The games submitted to the Norwegian Game Awards 2010 competition will be judged by the jury according to the following criteria:
* Fun – How fun is the game to play?
* Innovation – Does the game break any new ground or have any original ideas?
* Execution – Does the game have coherent graphics, theme and presentation?
* Market potential – Does the game have the potential to find an audience?
All games, regardless of genre or platform, will be judged according to these criteria. After playing the games the jury assigns every game a value on each axis. The resulting area forms the basis for deciding how well the game fares in the competition. The final nomination of the game depends on which axis it gravitates towards the most, with fun being the ultimate deciding factor.
There are three main prize categories in which each game competes, which are presented below. The prize for each category is listed after each category.
Game of the Year (30 000 NOK)
The jury's favorite – A game that is well thought-out and a delivers solid and fun gameplay. Clever design and a good game concept should be intertwined, creating a unique whole. The game needs to be innovative, well executed, fun and possible to market.
Best Innovation (15 000 NOK)
A game that is innovative in any way: an entirely new type of gameplay or a fresh take on an old one. But it still has to be fun, so just inventing new gameplay is not enough.
Best Execution (15 000 NOK)
A well made product that is good looking, has tight gameplay and coherent graphics. The presentation is also important: there is a big difference between a demo and a proper game. The game also needs to be fun.
Best concept (8 000 NOK)
A description of the concept of the game. The best concept is a concept that is both innovative and fun. This category is judged purely by a concept document, not by a game demo.
Committees Choice (2 000 NOK)
Extra award given by the jury to a game of their choice.
