Nominations open for 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards

Industry professionals now able to nominate titles for 13th annual awards show; special Audience Award voting begins February 4.

Nominations for the 13th annual Game Developers Choice Awards have been opened, with submissions able to be sent in through January 4, event organizers announced today. The awards ceremony itself will take place the evening of March 27, as part of GDC 2013 in San Francisco, California.

Nominations can be submitted through the event's website by any game professional with a registered account at Gamasutra.com. Winners for each category will be chosen by the Game Developers Choice Awards' International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), a group composed of 500 game developers. Additionally, the Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Committee will decide which games and creators take home Special Awards.

In addition to 10 basic categories and three special awards, the 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards will, for the first time, include a new Audience Award category. This award will be decided up by the audience at large, with voting opening February 4, 2013.

Categories now open for nominations are listed below:

Regular Awards:
· Best Audio
· Best Debut Game
· Best Downloadable Game
· Best Handheld/Mobile Game
· Best Game Design
· Best Narrative
· Best Technology
· Best Visual Arts
· Innovation Award
· Game of the Year
· Audience Award (Voting to open on February 4, 2013) 

Special Awards:· Lifetime Achievement
· Pioneer Award
· Ambassador Award