Overview
- Nova will select 20 student game creators each year through partnerships with 13 accredited schools, including NYU, USC, Abertay, Cnam‑Enjmin, TH Köln and RMIT.
- Each recipient will receive an initial $100,000 grant, and projects that meet development milestones may receive follow‑on payments that can total up to $500,000 while recipients keep ownership of their games.
- Founders Geoff Keighley and Mark Cerny have seeded the charity with multi‑million‑dollar donations and say Nova is philanthropic funding rather than an investment seeking returns.
- Hazelight founder Josef Fares has joined as a founding donor and mentor, and the foundation will help promote winners while inviting more industry figures to donate and mentor.
- Applications open in December for students in the classes of 2026 and 2027, a model intended to cut financial barriers for new creators and to build a steady pipeline of talent into the games industry.