Apply to the Game Devs of Color Expo

Apply to speak at our online conference, show your game in our Direct, or sell your game in our Steam Sale. All speakers are compensated, no submission fees for games, and all accepted applications are also entered into consideration for our Game Dev Grants.

GDoCExpo Conference

Online Conference (Apply to speak, get interviewed or do a panel)
September 16-19, 2025
Applications open: Feb 25
Applications close: Apr 18

Show requirements

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GDoCExpo highlights powerful talks and panels that are entertaining, thought-provoking, and empower our audience in games and beyond. You can see examples of past talks here. We accept submissions in the following session formats:

Microtalk: 15 minutes.
Talk: 30 minutes.
Panel: 45 minutes (up to 4 panelists, with one serving as moderator).
Dev Interview: 20 minutes. Our host interviews up to 4 members of your team about your project, and you’ll provide trailer and gameplay video.

Presenting in the conference requires a camera, mic, and stable internet. Sessions are pre-recorded in a single take and are broadcast during the conference and uploaded to YouTube throughout the year afterwards.

Apply to conference

GDoCExpo Direct

Applications opening in April

Game Trailer Showcase
September 16, 2025
Applications open: Apr 18
Applications close: Jun 13

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The GDoCExpo Direct is a game trailer showcase that features the latest exclusive announcements and news from devs of color, premiering live on YouTube, Steam, and partner channels like IGN and Gamespot. You can see a past example here.

Showing your game in the Direct requires new and exclusive gameplay video. We'll closely review any video material in your submission.

GDoCExpo Steam Sale

Applications opening in June

Steam Sale
September 16-22, 2025
Applications open: Jun 20
Applications close: Aug 1

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The GDoCExpo Steam Sale is our online games showcase and sale with devs of color running discounts, demos, and broadcasts. You can see a past example here.

The GDoCExpo Steam Sale requires a Steam page for your game. If you don't have one yet, Valve can waive the Steam Direct fee ($100) for you. The event gets significant traffic for a few days, so we highly encourage running a discount to boost sales.

FAQ's

GDoCExpo Conference and Speaking

What’s the timeline?

Acceptance, Conditional Acceptance, Waitlist, and Decline letters are sent on a rolling basis starting in May. Due to the high volume of applicants, this process may take weeks. All accepted speakers will need to submit a rough outline of their talk and slides for approval in June, then schedule time with our producers to record their talk between June and August. Each speaker will have the support of our production team and will not be expected to record the talk by themselves.

What makes a good submission?

Submissions should tell us what you plan to talk about with enough details to back up why you're the person to give the talk. If you have any vague concepts to present, please define them in a concise manner for us.

Talks should contain practical advice, personal knowledge, relevant tips, and have specifics that can be acted on. We want our attendees to come away from all talks with new tools, insights, or ideas that they could potentially use in their own projects.

Any submissions that don't fit into our Code of Conduct or are otherwise too vague to understand will be rejected. Blockchain and NFT talk submissions will not be accepted.

What type of content are you looking for? Is there a theme?

We’re looking for talks that dive into how you make games, market games, and get them out to the world. We want talks about how you work with teams, how you build your features and shaders, how you were successful, or unsuccessful with your game launches. We’re also always looking for ways you’ve worked with other cultures/cultural artforms to make your games better.

Is previous speaking experience required?

Not at all, we value giving folks their big break in speaking.

Can I present with someone else?

Yes, please note in your application, and submit the other speaker's info in the "notes" section.

If selected, what is the commitment?

Time to get talks ready differs greatly. But we're going to want an initial outline of the talk with slides to match, and a bit of time to give feedback (if necessary). This will most likely be a few hours minimum + the time it takes to record the talk. We ask that you give us a personal email when submitting. If accepted, please let us know if you will be unavailable for a large amount of time (like a vacation).

Is there exclusivity on my talk?

If possible, please give us enough time to get the talk onto our YouTube channel before presenting it at another event.

Are speakers compensated?

All speakers are paid. Please refer to the application form for the current rates per format. Speakers are also given tickets and discount codes to share.

The GDoCExpo Direct & the GDoCExpo Steam Sale

How much does it cost?

Participating in the Game Devs of Color Expo is 100% free. There is no fee to apply. There is no fee to showcase.

I applied, when will I hear back?

he application form lists the estimated timelines for each showcase. Please note that these are estimates, and the timing depends on application volume. You’ll hear back at the email address you applied with. We do reply to all applications with acceptance, waitlist, or rejection letters. Thanks for your patience!

Will I receive feedback on my game?

We do not provide written feedback on submissions.

What are common reasons for rejection?

Lack of polish or innovation compared to the standard of other applicants.

Game doesn't appear to be a good fit for our audience. This could be for reasons such as NSFW content, or concerns about representation or stereotypes.

The game’s release date is either too far in the future or too long ago without updates to be considered timely.

Application obfuscates or does not properly answer the question about team members' backgrounds. We cannot accept games where we do not have a clear understanding of who built it.

Game’s format doesn’t fit our show’s format.

Due to limited space in our showcase, we unfortunately cannot accept every game, even if it otherwise meets our standards.

My game isn’t on Steam yet, can we get the fee waived?

Yes! Normally Valve charges developers a $100 fee to list a game on Steam. If you haven’t made a Steam page for your game yet, you can apply through us to get that fee waived. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work retroactively, so if you’ve already made your Steam page, you cannot get it refunded.

Apply to the Game Devs of Color Expo

GDoCExpo Conference

GDoCExpo Direct

GDoCExpo Steam Sale

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