Registration for the SDGs Board Game Design Competition 2027 opened on 7 November. Organised by the Hong Kong Board Game Education Academy and co-organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology (HKIIT) and Capstone Boardgame Co., the competition takes the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its theme. It has primary, secondary and tertiary divisions and is free to enter.

Our students are welcome to join the Tertiary Division. Shortlisted entries will be exhibited at The Twins, Kai Tak, and each division’s champion may be offered publication by the organiser. We encourage interested students to form a team and turn their game ideas into a finished design.

Tertiary Division: eligibility and themes

•     Open to full-time students on bachelor’s degree, sub-degree or vocational diploma programmes; cross-institution teams are accepted

•     Teams of 1 to 4 members; each student may join one team only, and each team may submit one entry

•     Choose one theme track: Sustainable Development (one or more SDGs, with the game proposing solutions or exploring the issues) or Free Creativity (no theme restriction; competitive, sci-fi or purely fun games are all welcome)

•     Entries must be tabletop games (card games, board games or both), ideally for 2 to 6 players, with a play time of no more than 60 minutes

•     Entries must be original, not sold publicly, not awarded in other competitions, and not under any publishing or licensing agreement

What to submit

Registered teams must submit both of the following by 11:59 pm on 31 December 2026:

•     A two-minute introduction video showing every card and component and explaining the theme and gameplay (MP4/MOV, at least 1080p, max 500 MB)

•     A detailed rulebook (PDF) covering the title, theme track and concept, player count and play time, component list, setup, rules and flow of play, victory conditions and illustrated examples

Visual designs created entirely or mainly by AI are not eligible for art-related awards, and teams must declare any AI tools used.

Key dates

Date

Event

Sat, 7 Nov 2026

Registration opens

Early Dec 2026

Online briefing session (date to be announced)

Tue, 15 Dec 2026

Registration deadline

Thu, 31 Dec 2026

Submission deadline (video + rulebook)

Thu, 7 Jan 2027

Shortlist announced (top 5 per division, 15 teams)

Fri–Sat, 8–9 Jan 2027

Exhibition and public vote

Sun, 10 Jan 2027

Award ceremony

Venue: 7/F Atrium, The Twins Phase 2, 12 Muk Tsui Street, Kai Tak, Kowloon (Kai Tak MTR Station Exit B)

Awards

Each division has a Champion, 1st Runner-up, 2nd Runner-up, Most Popular Award, Best SDG Interpretation Award, Best Game Mechanics Award and Merit Awards. Each division’s champion may be offered publication by the organiser. All teams that complete a submission receive an e-certificate of participation.

Registration and enquiries

Register through the online form on the competition website on or before 15 December 2026.

•     Organiser: Hong Kong Board Game Education Academy, info@hkbgea.com, +852 3580 1551

•     Department contact/supervisor: Dr. Frank Fu qfu@hksyu.edu