Emerging game developers at the University of West London (UWL) gathered in its cutting-edge Digital Futures Lab on Friday 12 June for an exciting Game Awards and End of Year Showcase. The event included the Awards for the recent SEGA-sponsored Summer Game Jam.
Building underwater worlds
For the Summer Game Jam, five multidisciplinary teams comprising programmers, artists, graphic designers and musicians were challenged to develop an original game in just seven days.
This year’s theme, ‘Reefs: Where Life Builds Structure’, was inspired by the global 2026 Green Game Jam, encouraging students to explore environmental storytelling and creative world-building.
Vouchers, hardware and goodie bags
The teams rose to the challenge, producing inventive and engaging games, with all completing participants winning PlanetPlay vouchers to redeem against games of their choice, courtesy of SEGA Europe. The winners took away a custom wooden medal with SEGA lanyard, alongside a gaming monitor and goodie bag set from additional prize sponsor MSI.
The winning games were:
1st Place: Reef Relief by Coral Tubbies
2nd Place: White Coral Crime by Microplastics
3rd Place: Coral Guardian by CTRL ALT X
Industry insight from a UWL alumnus
Senior Security Analyst at SEGA and UWL alumnus Cedric Van Dorpe shared valuable advice with participants:
“Companies like SEGA always look for the latest talent, and it gives you a head start if you’ve already completed a project from start to finish like a Game Jam. It’s an invaluable experience for the students because it really sets students apart.”
Celebrating talent and teamwork
As well as hearing the results of the Game Jam, students presented their projects at an end-of-year Showcase, culminating in an Awards ceremony celebrating excellence in game development across UWL.
The event recognised standout achievements in design, production, and creativity, offering students a platform to demonstrate their skills to peers, lecturers and industry professionals.
Among the winners was student Dalia AbuSalah, whose team secured first place in the Game Jam. She also won Best Solo Developed Game and Artist of the Year awards. She said:
“I couldn’t have won first place without my incredible teammates Nazim Choudry, Harun Yusuf, and Ewan Hipperson. We never gave up and always encouraged each other. I’d like to thank the community for a thrilling and exciting atmosphere. Everyone did their best and showed outstanding work! Thank you UWL for this incredible experience with SEGA – and shout out to MSI for the collaboration and prizes.”
Her teammate Nazim Choudry, who won the Award for Excellence in Game Production, Research and Media, added:
“It was such an honour to win the Summer Game Jam as well as my award! Thank you so much to my lecturers who supported me over the past three years – they were incredible and I couldn’t have asked for a better university experience. Thank you to SEGA and MSI for sponsoring the Jam; it really means a lot to us starting out in the industry.”