The Trailhead Program
Supports students and recent grads with hands-on experience, mentorship, and portfolio development to prepare them for jobs in the video game industry.
Overview
The gaming industry is a complex space that requires an understanding of both game development and business or commercialization to achieve success. Many game development companies looking for talent, review the portfolio of the applicant along with their relevant experience. For most recent graduates, it puts them at a disadvantage, as they have the ability to execute in their field of interest but are unable to provide a substantive portfolio project in their job applications.
Edmonton Screen recognized an opportunity to provide students with the chance to get hands-on industry experience, mentorship and get a project portfolio under their belt, to prepare them for jobs within the games industry.
Up to five project teams will be selected to take part in the program. Project teams will be made up of students or recent graduates of a video game development program or related design program at participating post-secondary universities and will receive the support to continue developing their projects into a fully commercialized game.
Program Objectives
The Trailhead Program aims to increase
- the number of Alberta post-secondary grads entering the local creative workforce after graducation
- the skill level and experience of local creators
- opportunities for local creatives to connect and build relationships
- visibility and recognition locally, nationally, and internationally
Eligiblity
Applicants
- The primary applicant must be currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, a game development/computer science program at either University of Alberta, MacEwan University, or NAIT.
- The majority of the applicant team must be composed of students from the same program.
- At least half of the applicant team must be composed of the same team that built the submitted prototype.
- If the applicant team does not include the entirety of the team that originally built the submitted prototype, then participating teams will be required to complete an agreement with non-participating teammates to allow for further derivative development and distribution. (Template agreement to be provided by Edmonton Screen).
- Teams must have a playable demo that can be shown at Game Con Canada (teams may continue to develop their game prior to the event or show it as-is if it is in a presentable state).
Application Process
- Teams may only submit one project each.
- At least two members of the team must commit to being present at any given time during Game Con Canada 2025 (June 13-15) to exhibit their game.
- All team members are expected to attend educational sessions provided to prepare for a showcase at Game Con Canada.
Participant Funding & Benefits
- Participants will recieve educational opportunities through workshops or other activities focusing on exhibitor strategies, presentation skills, and effective networking at industry events.
- Showcasing opportunities/booth space
- at Game Con Canada and the North American Games Industry Summit (NAGIS) in Edmonton in June 2026.
- $5,000 per studio to support the development of current or future studio.
- Program participants will recieve mentorship from participants of the Summit Push program.
Application Requirements
Information required for the application form:
- Main Contact and Email
- Team Name
- Team Composition (name, email address, and the program and school name for each member)
- Intended Outcomes
- Future Goals
- Development Plan
- Prototype Link
Assessment
An Adjudication Committee will be made up of members of faculty from each school and Edmonton Screen staff. Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- Implementation of good development practices in prototype creation: demonstration that the team can operate using good development practices, facilitating a healthy team environment.
- Quality of the existing prototype: demonstration of the team’s ability to complete a project on time using their available expertise. Quality is the focus, not the prototype’s size or scope. Smaller, higher-quality prototypes will be preferred over larger, less-polished prototypes.
- Clarity and feasibility of the team’s plans: the team’s development plan to expand and polish their prototype, which can be exhibited at GameCon, is realistic. The plans have the potential for future scalability and eventual commercial viability.
- Impact on the Edmonton ecosystem: benefit such funding would provide to advance applicants’ career goals and/or leading to further game development in Edmonton, e.g., application to CMF, etc.
Process
- All applications will first be reviewed for eligibility.
- Eligible applications will then be assessed based on the criteria above.
- Adjusticators will reviewing scoring and select the teams to participate in the program.
- All applicants will be informed of decisions.
Recognition and Reporting Requirements
Detailed recognition and reporting requirements can be found in the participant toolkit (https://edmontonscreen.com/programs-initiatives/funding-toolkit/).
Final reporting will be due 30 days after the completion of Game Con Canada and will be indicated in the funding agreement provided.
Applicants with overdue final reporting for this program will not be eligible for future ES funding until the reporting is submitted.
Participating Partners
