Entries are now open for Scottish Edge Round 17!
A LOT of development teams, start-ups and small studios know about the funding on offer from the UK Games Fund, but far fewer seem to be aware of the Scottish Edge competition.
Which is strange, given the competition hands out prizes (split 50/50 between grant (non-repayable) and loan (repayable)) of up to £100,000.
If you’re a young business (under five years old) or even if you’re ‘pre-trading’, you can enter Scottish Edge round 17.
The entry requirements are on a par with those from the UKGF, but they’re judged very differently. While UKGF is focused on titles and prototypes, the Edge competition is looking for sustainable businesses. So… this game and all the ones which come after it. So, yes, you’ll need a business plan.
Don’t let that put you off. Having a business plan is a very good thing.
Wild Card & Young Edge
Even better, the competition offers two categories, Wild Card Edge and Young Edge, which are perfect for new studios. Wild Card Edge is for ‘pre trading’ companies, sole traders and partnerships, while Young Edge is aimed at companies where all of the directors are under the age of 30. Both categories offer awards of up to £10,000, BUT you can also enter the main award as well (so you could win up to £110,000).
Importantly, both the Young and Wild Card categories are awarded as grants – so there’s no loan element or repayment required.
The competition has been running for a long time now, with hundreds of businesses across Scotland having received help and support from the competition.
Entries Open Now
Online entries are now open for Scottish Edge Round 17 – and if you’re a young business, it could be well worth your while getting an entry in.
The online application form can be accessed at scottishedge.com. Businesses will have until 14:00 on Wednesday February 10 2021 to submit a new application.
This is one of those entries you can’t knock together in half an hour. The organisers recommend giving yourself at least a week to do the application comfortably.
In recognition of a growing focus on business for good, a new Impact assessment criteria and associated application questions have been introduced to assess and measure the purpose-led intentions of the EDGE applicants. Scottish Edge has also introduced a section focusing on your business’ Value Proposition, and this revamped section incorporates the previous Innovation and Risk Awareness sections and allows for a more rounded exploration of your business offering.
Assessment Panels and Live Pitching
The 1st Stage Assessments will be undertaken virtually by independent assessment panels supported by the wider Scottish EDGE team. For those businesses who progress to the live pitching stage, the Semi-Finals, Wild Card EDGE Final, Young EDGE Final and Social Enterprise EDGE Final will all be delivered virtually via Zoom and an independent assessment panel will be in place.
At this stage, it is too early to determine in exactly what form the competition’s infamous Live Final event will take. If possible and if completely safe to do so, Edge will try to deliver an in-person live pitching event in a closed environment and broadcast it to a live online audience. If meeting in-person is not permissible, the entire event will take place virtually.
To find out more about the Scottish Edge Round 17 and to find the entry guidelines and criteria, visit the Scottish Edge website. You have until February 10th to get your entry in…
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