Grand Game Awards 2026 jury panel: Who is judging and why it matters

The Grand Game Awards 2026 jury panel has been announced, and it brings together 99 gaming media outlets, platforms, content creators and industry voices from around the world. The ceremony takes place on December 17, 2026. If you follow games, you probably know big award shows exist. What many people never think about is who actually decides the winners.

This post explains the jury in simple words, shows where its members come from, and tells you what it could mean for players and game makers.

Quick answer: The Grand Game Awards 2026 jury panel is a group of 99 gaming outlets, platforms and creators from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Asia and other regions. They will help celebrate the year’s best games at the Grand Game Awards 4th edition on December 17, 2026.

What the Grand Game Awards 2026 jury panel includes

According to the official announcement, the jury is made up of established international publications, gaming platforms, independent media sites, content creators and passionate community pages. The goal is to show many different views of the video game world instead of just one.

Here are the key facts in one place:

Event: Grand Game Awards, 4th edition
Date: December 17, 2026
Jury size: 99 outlets, platforms, creators and industry voices
Regions covered: Middle East, North Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Asia and other international territories
Goal: To recognise the video game industry in all its forms and give different communities a say

Some names on the list will be familiar even outside the region. They include Anime News Network, IGN MENA, Windows Central, Insider Gaming, CGMagazine and 4Gamer from Japan. Many others are smaller outlets and creators who serve loyal local audiences.

Where the jury members come from

The list shows a clear pattern. Based on the countries named next to each entry, the largest group is from Saudi Arabia, with roughly 28 entries. Many more are listed under wider labels such as MENA (Middle East and North Africa), the Middle East, or EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). Countries like Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, Oman, Tunisia and the UAE also appear.

Beyond that region, you will find:

North America: Canada and the United States, with outlets such as Analog Stick Gaming, MonsterVine and Rectify Gaming
Europe: Austria, Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Nordics
South America: Brazil, with outlets such as Manual dos Games and Emerald Corp
Asia: Japan, Malaysia and Singapore
Africa: South Africa, with Everyone Gaming

This makes it a truly international gaming jury, even though its centre of gravity is clearly in the Arab world. That is worth knowing, and it is also what makes the panel interesting. Arabic-speaking gamers are a huge audience, and their voices are often missing from big global award shows.

What a gaming awards jury actually does

Let us keep this simple. A jury is a group of people who are trusted to give opinions. In a gaming awards jury, members are usually people who play, review and write about many games every year. They use that experience to help pick which games deserve recognition.

The announcement does not explain the exact voting method, such as how many votes each outlet gets or how scores are counted. So it is best not to guess. For those details, check the official Grand Game Awards website closer to the ceremony.

Here is a simple, imaginary example to show why a jury like this matters.

Imagine Rafael runs a small studio of four people in Sao Paulo. His team spent three years making a cosy puzzle game about a lighthouse keeper. It got a few good reviews locally, but major global sites never covered it. At most award shows, a game like that would never be noticed.

Now imagine an award jury that includes outlets from Brazil, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Africa. A reviewer in Warsaw tries Rafael’s game on a weekend and loves it. A creator in Riyadh shows it to a few thousand followers. Suddenly the game is on more radars than it ever was. It may not win, but it gets seen, and for a small studio that can change everything.

That is the real value of a wide jury. More voices means more games get a fair look.

Why a global jury is good for players and developers

A jury that spans many countries has a few clear benefits.

Fewer blind spots: Game tastes differ around the world. A story-heavy role-playing game, a football title or a mobile hit can mean different things in different places. A mixed jury notices more of them.
More chances for smaller studios: Independent developers rarely get the marketing money of big publishers. Local and independent gaming media outlets can give them attention that money cannot buy.
Better representation for players: Millions of players in the Middle East and North Africa love games but see few awards built around their communities. A panel like this helps change that.
Stronger links between communities: When outlets from different countries work together, players and creators learn about each other’s favourite games.

Meet the Grand Game Awards 2026 Jury Panel

The complete 2026 Jury Panel includes:

Abdullah117 — Saudi Arabia
Aldahash News — Iraq
Abstracters — Saudi Arabia
Alaab — Saudi Arabia
Analog Stick Gaming — Canada
ALHUB — Bahrain
Anime News Network — North America
Arab News Japan — Middle East and Japan
ArabGamerZ — Middle East
ArabHardware — Egypt
BaziCenter — Canada
Bazimag — MENA
Brbrhworld — Saudi Arabia
Cerealkillerz — Austria
CGMagazine — Canada
Chicas Gamers — Spain
Cinelinx — North America
Console Creatures — North America
crewzn — Saudi Arabia
Criticlenz — United Kingdom
Daily Gamer — UAE
Dbazi — MENA
Eatationq8 — Middle East
El-PurPlay — Saudi Arabia
El3ab MENA — MENA
Elite Gamers — Algeria
Emerald Corp — Brazil
Eternal Games — Saudi Arabia
Everyone Gaming — South Africa
G4F.it — Italy
GA SEEKERS — Kuwait
Game Palette — MENA
Gamefa — MENA
GameOnly — Poland
Gamer Box — Egypt
Gamer Social Club — Canada
Gamers Heroes — North America
Gamers__break — Saudi Arabia
Gamertag Radio — North America
Games Mix — Egypt, MENA
GAMESMASTERS — UAE
Gameszm — Saudi Arabia
GAMETIV — Iraq
Gaming Boulevard — Belgium
GamingStation — Saudi Arabia
Gemansion — Saudi Arabia
GeTech Gaming — EMEA
GGamingAR — Middle East
GLITCHED — EMEA
HEROES OF LAG — Oman
IGN MENA — Saudi Arabia
Insider Gaming — United States
IsItWorthYourTime — United States
Locomoment — Kuwait
Manual dos Games — Brazil
Mariam Muha — Saudi Arabia
Middle East Gamer — MENA
Mody14 — Saudi Arabia
MonsterVine — North America
Mr. eGames — Saudi Arabia
mrixrt — United States
Nmia — Malaysia
Omar Abul — Bahrain
Play & Enjoy DZ — Algeria
Player 1 — Saudi Arabia
Playstation Game Size — MENA
Rectify Gaming — United States
ReGame it — Iraq
Region Free — Nordics
REOX — Iraq
Rexgamer16 — Saudi Arabia
Reybad — Saudi Arabia
Sama News — Saudi Arabia
SavePoint Gaming — Singapore
Silver_00700 — Saudi Arabia
So Many Games — England
SoloGamers — Saudi Arabia
Spectra_O1 — Saudi Arabia
The Gaming AREA — Algeria
The Outerhaven Productions — North America
TheHuntersGame — Saudi Arabia
TrueGaming — Saudi Arabia
Tunisian Gamers TV — Tunisia
Unisanda — EMEA
VGEX.ME — UAE
Vigiato — MENA
SpinPlay Games — Poland
Watermelo — Brazil
Weebhead — MENA
Windows Central — USA / UK
XBOX INFINITE — Saudi Arabia
XboxArabs — Saudi Arabia
Yonko3li — MENA / UAE
ZdobywcyGier.eu — Poland
Le3ba Gamda — MENA
4Gamer — Japan
ECHO MENA — Saudi Arabia
FSSALDA — Saudi Arabia
Arab Gamers United— Bahrin

The Grand Game Awards 2026 jury panel shows how big and varied the gaming world has become. Players, studios and media outlets exist in every corner of the globe, and award shows are slowly starting to reflect that. Whether you are a casual player or a developer hoping to be noticed, it is worth watching how this ceremony grows.

The real test will come on December 17, 2026, when the winners are revealed.