European Women in Games Conference 2016 Winners Announced
Women in Games, the not for profit, games industry diversity organisation, celebrated the sixth annual European Women in Games Conference, which was hosted at the University of Greenwich making a number of important awards to give visibility to women both at the peak of and starting out in their careers.
The day comprised of over 40 speakers and panellists who represent different sectors within the game industries who discussed topics and led workshops, including eSports, BAME in Games, Careers in Animation and Pushing Boundaries in VR. The mix of topics was designed to reflect current developments in the games industry with an objective to educate and inspire.
Award winners
- Debbie Bestwick MBE, founder of Team 17 was presented with her trophy for The Hall of Fame award from 2015 by WIGJ CEO, Marie-Claire Isaaman.
- Sitara Shefta, Producer at Sumo Digital was inducted into the European Women in Games Hall of Fame for 2016 with a Special Award recognising her work both as a woman in games and her dedicated humanitarian work helping refugees on the island of Lesbos having raised over £10,000 with her sister in Sheffield for refugees.
Winners of the Student Competition were awarded by Debbie Bestwick MBE along with Helen Kennedy, Head of the School of Media, at the University of Brighton:
- Robyn Wilkinson BA (Hons) Music, The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts – Sound
- Liz Mercuri MSc in Computer Game Software Development, Sheffield Hallam University – Programming
- Hannah Aicken BA (Hons) Game Design and Production Management, Abertay University – Game Design/Production
- Amy Parish MA Games, Norwich University of the Arts – 2D/Game Design/Programming
- Sarah Wright BA (Hons) Game Art and Design, De Montfort University – Character Designer
- Stephanie Mckea MA Game Design, University of Central Lancashire – Game Design
Marie-Claire Isaaman CEO of Women in Games, said: “Today has been fantastic, celebrating all the great things that have been achieved in the game industries in our awards ceremony. I want to thank the incredible and inspirational keynote speakers who gave up their time today to share their knowledge with all attendees; without them conferences like this would not be possible. There are a number of notable women in the industry and many of whom are just starting out, a conference like this showcases their incredible talent, along with sending a strong message to women who are unsure about joining the industry. This year has been exceptional and I would also like to thank our international event partner, NewBay Media.”
For further details about the conference please visit http://www.womeningamesconference.com ;
