Nigeria–Japan Game Creator Contest 2026
Official Entry Rules

1. Eligibility

The contest is open to creators across Nigeria falling under any of the following categories:

• An individual residing in Nigeria (including students, beginners, and professional creators)
• A team composed of residents of Nigeria (indie teams, student groups, or collaborative units)
• A corporation or studio registered in Nigeria

Open to All Skill Levels: Both experienced game developers and students or self-taught beginners are warmly welcomed to participate.

Applicants under the age of 18 must obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian.

2. Submitted Works & Categories

• Submitted works must be original works created by the applicants themselves.
• Submitted works must not infringe any third-party copyrights, trademarks, privacy rights, or other rights.
• Unfinished versions, prototypes, alpha versions, beta versions, and playable demos are all accepted.
• Non-coding submissions are also accepted: Game concepts/proposals, game design documents (GDD), story/scenario scripts, character/concept art, and game soundtracks/music are all eligible for judging.
• Works that have already been published may be submitted if the applicant holds the necessary rights.
• Copyrights and other intellectual property rights will be handled in accordance with applicable laws in Nigeria.

3. Judging

Submitted works will be judged based on criteria including the following.

• Originality
• Creativity
• Impact
• Entertainment value
• Technical skill
• Expression of Nigerian culture, history, society, and future potential

Judging will not be based solely on the completeness of the game; ideas and future potential will also be valued.

Judging results are final and cannot be appealed.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

At the time of submission, intellectual property rights in the submitted work belong to the applicant.

Before receiving prize money, winners must enter into a rights agreement designated by the organizers.

After prize payment is completed:

• The intellectual property rights in winning works will be jointly owned.
• The ownership ratio will be 50% for the winner and 50% for GigBeing Inc. and Ebelebe Ltd.
• Terms for commercialization, licensing, revenue sharing, and secondary use will be determined through separate discussions.

Rights in works that do not win will continue to belong to the applicants.

5. Promotional Use

Applicants grant the organizers permission to use the names, images, videos, descriptions, team names, and other related materials of submitted works free of charge for purposes related to judging, public relations, promotion, reporting, and other contest operations.

6. Use of AI

The use of AI tools and generative AI is permitted.

Applicants must comply with the following requirements.

6-1. Requirements When Using AI

• Comply with the terms of use of the AI tools used
• Ensure that AI-generated materials and all other parts of the submitted work do not infringe any third-party copyrights, trademarks, portrait rights, or other rights
• Take final responsibility for the content of the submitted work

6-2. Disclosure of AI Use

Applicants must disclose the following information at the time of submission.

• Names of AI tools, AI models, and versions used, such as ChatGPT 5.5, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Adobe Firefly, etc.
• Processes and purposes for which AI was used, such as concept art creation, image generation, programming, NPC dialogue generation, music production, etc.
• Period during which AI was used
• If an independently developed AI is used, its training data and rights clearance status

6-3. Ownership of Rights

As a general rule, copyright in the submitted work belongs to the applicant at the time of submission.

Whether copyright is recognized in AI-generated materials will be determined in accordance with the laws and precedents of each country.

6-4. Rights Warranty

Applicants represent and warrant that their submitted works, including AI-generated materials, do not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights or other rights.

6-5. Applicant Responsibility

If factual inaccuracies or inappropriate expressions are included in a work due to the characteristics, defects, misinformation, or hallucinations of AI tools, the applicant will be responsible for such content.

6-6. Disclaimer

The organizers, GigBeing Inc. and Ebelebe Ltd., assume no responsibility for disputes, claims, damages, or other issues arising between applicants and third parties in connection with the use of AI technology.

7. Prize Payment

Prize money will be paid in accordance with applicable laws and regulations in Nigeria.

If taxes, withholding, or other legally required deductions apply, such amounts will be deducted from the payment.

Winners must submit identification documents, tax information, bank account information, and any other information requested by the organizers.

8. Disqualification

The organizers may cancel a submitted work or a winner's eligibility in the following cases.

• False information was submitted
• Third-party rights are infringed
• A violation of law is found
• The work contains inappropriate or illegal content
• These rules are violated

If a winner is disqualified after receiving an award, the organizers may request the return of the prize money.

9. Disclaimer

All costs required to create and submit works are the responsibility of the applicants.

The organizers are not responsible for damages caused by communication failures, system failures, data loss, or other events not attributable to the applicants.

10. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These rules will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of Japan.

The Tokyo District Court will have exclusive jurisdiction as the court of first instance over all disputes related to this contest.