The IGDA Foundation is delighted to announce that the 2017 IGDA Scholars Program is kicking off with applications for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2017. The program is open to all students and recent graduates in fields related to game development. Applications should be submitted by 6 December 2016, please see http://scholars.igdafoundation.org/ for further information and to apply.

GDC will take place 27 February to 3 March 2017 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, USA. The world’s largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event features over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts. Awarded to the best and brightest students in game development disciplines, the IGDA Scholars Program gives recipients an unforgettable experience including an all-access pass, industry mentorship, travel stipend, and local studio tours.

IGDA Scholars in the past few years have had incredible opportunities above and beyond the awarded event passes, including private Q&As with industry luminaries such as Ed Fries, Don Daglow, Reiko Ninomiya, Tim O’Leary, and more. They’ve also toured game studios such as Zynga and Double Fine. Students have made connections with their mentors and fellow Scholars that last well after the conferences.

You can learn more about the program, its history and find out how to apply at http://scholars.igdafoundation.org/. Please help us spread the word about this excellent opportunity for students from around the world by following and retweeting us on Twitter @IGDA_Scholars. As always you can find more information about this and other great charitable initiatives that support the games industry through the IGDA Foundation at http://igdafoundation.org.