Bread on the Run: detail from the award-nominated game design by Purley teens Liana Ekanayake Ralalage and Noor Ali
Four teenagers from Croydon and Sutton have made it into the finals of BAFTA’s prestigious annual Young Game Designers competition – including one duo from Purley who have made the finals for the second time in three years.
First held in 2010, BAFTA Young Game Designers supports children and young people passionate about games by providing them with hands-on experience and creating accessible pathways into industry careers.
The programme engages young people directly through game-making workshops, Primary school roadshows with Place2Be, dedicated secondary school events during National Careers Week, and more. The programme culminates in the annual Young Game Designers Competition, which gives talented young creatives access to expert insights, advice and the chance to showcase their game-creating ability.
Final chance: Marcus Man, from Waddon, is in the running for CON-FIEND
This year’s finalists have entered into one of two categories: the Game Concept Award, which rewards the most original and best thought-out game idea, and the Game Making Award, which goes to the most impressive use of coding skills on a freely available software to create a prototype game. Each category is split into two age groups: 10-14 years and 15-18 years.
The winners’ ceremony will be streamed live on BAFTA’s YouTube channel next Thursday, June 18, from 5pm, with the winning games will to be displayed at the Science Museum’s Power Up experience.
Official Partners of BAFTA Young Game Designers 2026 include PlayStation, Google Play, EE, Hasbro and WB Games. All of this year’s finalists will have their games featured at the Young BAFTA Showcase weekend being hosted at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, on June 27-28, giving them the chance to play each other’s games before it opens to the public on the following day.
Back for more: Liana Ekanayake Ralalage and Noor Ali teamed up to make the finals two years ago
In there among the 50-or-so final contenders is Marcus Man, 14, from Waddon. He has created the game CON-FIEND. “Being a BAFTA Young Game Designers competition finalist is a really shocking thing for me,” he said. “My game’s simple yet engaging, and I look forward to showing off my game in the future.”
Purley 15-year-olds Liana Ekanayake Ralalage and Noor Ali have experience of reaching this stage of the BAFTA competition before, having been finalists in 2024, when they were both pupils at Old Palace. Now in a different age group, they have teamed up again to create Bread On The Run.
“We feel extremely proud of ourselves,” Ralalage said.
Ali said: “Our favourite part was designing and creating characters for our game. We are looking forward to meeting with the other finalists and learning on how we could improve on our designs.”
Games designer: Ethan Dale is a BAFTA finalist
Another return finalist is Ethan Dale, who was at the BRIT School in 2023 when he made the finals.
Now 18, and living in Sutton, Dale created Pix ‘N Mix with Sofia Bautista-Sepulveda from Greenwich. The game is a “fun dungeon crawler with a unique combination of drawing and fighting in a clash of art styles”, according to BAFTA.
The finalists were selected based on the creativity of their vision and the technicality of their execution. Winning entries will be judged on their design and suitability for their chosen platform, with the aim of encouraging participants into games careers, and making the industry more accessible to young talent.
The judging panels who selected this year’s finalists out of hundreds of entries represent some of the world’s most successful games companies, including IO Interactive (007 First Light) and TT Games (LEGO Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight).
Tara Saunders, the chair of the BAFTA games committee, said: “It’s always wonderful to support the next generation of creatives through BAFTA Young Game Designers. These extremely talented young people are going to continue to be the names to watch in the future.
“The year-round support that we’re able to offer with Young Game Designers, culminating in the competition, is a chance for them to connect with experts working at some of the biggest games companies in the country. But it also allows veterans in the industry to get involved and pay it forward, passing on their knowledge to a new generation of talent who might become their future colleagues. Inspiring the next generation to design, build, and share their game ideas reminds us all of our journeys and why we’re in this industry.”
You can view, download and play the short-listed games by clicking here (for game-makers) and here for game concepts.
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