With 435 submissions from 78 countries, the 15th international A MAZE. Awards received more entries from more locations than ever before competing for 7 awards and the Audience Award. The Award Show presents the 33 nominations covering innovative performances, digital poems, wild and cultural experiences, personal stories as well as stunning game worlds and works of interactive media art.
Awards: Most Amazing Award | Human Human Machine Award | Long Feature Award | Digital Moment Award | Explorer Award | WINGS Award (presented by WINGS) | XR-History Award (presented by Körber-Stiftung) | Audience Award
See all Nominees and their categories
In this years colorful and wild show, moderator Tim Rogers will be joined by Sarah Bashir from the Audience Stage at Betonhalle. A performance by Gelbart will give a taste of the afterparty to come and the final jury consisting of Anan Fries, Antonin Fourneau, Farfama, Meghna Jayanth and last year’s winner Julián Cordero will finally reveal the winners.
MAIN STAGE AT KUPPELHALLE
Doors will open at 19:30. Pre-Show from Audience Stage will be streamed. Seats at groundfloor only available for Nominees (for everyone else there is also the top floor balcony and spots for standing - great to dance though!).
AUDIENCE STAGE AT BETONHALLE
Pre-Show starts at 19:30. If you want to take part in the 15years A MAZE. raffle or the interactive Audience Award part - this is the place to be! Award Show from the Main Stage will be streamed.
Moderation:
TIM ROGERS
Tim has worked in most aspects of video game development and criticism for two decades. Since 2007 he has owned Action Button, a design consulting agency and game development studio which since 2020 also produces video essays on YouTube. He currently lives in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA in a small apartment near Central Park with two Pomeranian dogs and one human person.
SARAH BASHIR
Sarah Bashir is a games scholar, focusing on game production studies, the history of digital and interactive media and the interrelation of games, art and culture. She initiated and currently leads Circuit Lab, a game studies lab situated at the Department of Media and Communication Studies, University of Halle, and is a returning member of the jury of Deutscher Computerspielpreis (German Computer Game Awards). Sarah is currently pursuing a research project on the production and distribution of independent video games.
Live Performance:
GELBART
Ever since landing in Berlin's electronic scene in 2005, Gelbart has earned a reputation as one of the city's most innovative musicians. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, composer, filmmaker, and author, his work exists at the intersection of the surreal and the visceral, blending the high-brow with the low, and the accessible with the complex.
With a discography spanning more than 20 LPs and EPs (on Joyful Noise, Gagarin Records, and Lo Recordings, among others), Gelbart has built a distinctive sonic universe—one that defies categorization while maintaining a singular vision. His compositions, ranging from toybox electronica to avant-garde orchestrations, reflect not only a fearless commitment to pushing creative boundaries but also a deep mastery of the craft of music, with resonant melodies and warm harmonies. His upcoming solo LP, TK-745, set for release on Kitchen Leg Records in February 2026, reinforces his standing as an artist unafraid to challenge conventions.
Beyond recorded music, Gelbart has composed for live ensembles, including a 70-minute commissioned piece for Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, slated for release as a double LP in 2027. He has also written a long-form composition for string quartet and electronic voice, performed in venues from Casa del Lago in Mexico to Berghain in Berlin. His work has been a mainstay on WFMU and featured in festivals worldwide, while his animations and films, such as the sci-fi short film Vermin, have gained international recognition—including a screening at the US Library of Congress. Gelbart is also the author of the surrealist novel Egglike.
