PROCESS
Hand Eye Society is committed to a fair and democratic selection process.
Our public Call for Submissions opens on June 13, 2025 and closes on July 18, 2025. We accept traditional and experimental game projects, interactive installations, talks, panels, and workshops. All submissions that meet eligibility requirements outlined below are presented to and considered by the Programming Committee.
A working group of Hand Eye Society staff, the Programming Committee provides perspectives on entries, their ties to any overarching themes, and aims to program structures that push the boundaries of innovative programming.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
Submissions for all categories are open worldwide to all applicants. Minimum requirements for consideration are outlined below.
Game Showcase
- The project must be complete and released at the time of the festival
- Demos may be accepted if the release date is within 2025
- Offline/DRM-free standalone builds are available if necessary
Talk & Panel
- The proposed topic is relevant to the culture and practice of videogame creation
- The proposed topic is not a direct promotion of a product or service for which the applicants are actively campaigning
- For panels, a maximum of 4 panelists + moderator
Workshop
- The proposed topic includes practical exercise
- The proposed topic does not require niche equipment or large purchases by attendees
Alt-Controller/Experimental Project
- The project must be complete and released
- Documentation of working installation required
More details on each category are provided in the menu on the right of the festival page.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
Arcade-Friendly
As much of the festival focuses on the Torontron arcade cabinet public outreach component, special consideration will be given to projects with control schemes that map well to arcade cabinet controller hardware. Traditional D-pad and button schemes work best, while twin-stick and third-person 3D work the least. The submission form requests control scheme details.
Release Status
All interactive projects must be completed and released at any time to be eligible. Demos are only accepted for consideration if the game is set to release in 2025. If the project intends to premiere at the festival, please specify in the submission form. Submissions of student and jam projects polished post-hoc are accepted.
Language
The Festival presents to a primarily English-speaking audience, however, non-English language works are accepted if the artist intends to present the work in the original language version without English options for artistic or cultural reasons. If applicable, please specify in the submission form.
For the full festival artistic policy, please visit our website.
TIPS FOR USING FILMFREEWAY (ALL SUBMISSION CATEGORIES)
-All submissions must be set up as a project in a FilmFreeway account
- Set all submissions up as ‘VR / XR / Immersive [Beta]’ under Project Information > Project Type
- If it is a talk, panel, or workshop select ‘Other’ under Specifications > Product Type
- Please include a breakdown of talking points and takeaways in as much detail as 400 words allows. The Curation Committee can’t do further research.
- For game submissions, please provide a playable version of your work as a file or link.
- After setting up your project, there are some additional questions when submitting to the festival. Please click through all the pages beforehand to prepare. We ask for additional details about submissions the platform’s project setup doesn’t capture.
OTHER ELIGIBILITY NOTES
- Creators from anywhere in the world are encouraged to apply! Canadian content is prioritized, and we aim to support emerging, independent, and underrepresented creators.
- Entries may be commercial, student, or independently developed.
- If the submission fee is a barrier, email us at info[at]handeyesociety.com
For additional information on each category, please see the drop-down information to the right.
