Applications Closed for 2025-2026 Cohort
The GAMA Horizons Fellowship is a eight-month accelerator program for prospective and newly established tabletop game publishers and retail store owners. It was created by GAMA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to help address the needs of communities that have been historically underrepresented in the tabletop industry.
Now in its fourth year, the Horizons Fellowship connects participants with industry professionals who will serve as mentors and peer coaches, and will provide access to grants and resources essential to developing and sustaining successful business relationships. The new cohort of Fellows will start the program in September. This year’s program will include travel and accommodations for GAMA Expo in Louisville, KY from March 1-5, 2026, and the Origins Game Fair June 17-21, 2026.
Congratulations to our 2024-2025 Fellowship Fellows!
WHO IS THE FELLOWSHIP FOR?
Businesses that are at least 51% owned and/or operated by members of historically underrepresented communities based on (but not limited to) race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ability are eligible to apply. Applicants must apply to one of four categories:
Publishers
- Prospective publisher in the process of creating a tabletop game or starting a tabletop game publishing business
- Newly established publisher already producing tabletop games
Retailers
ALL SELECTED FELLOWSHIP PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE:
- 1-year complimentary membership in GAMA valued at $300
A $1,000 grant for business or operational expenses
Travel Stipends and Lodging for GAMA Expo and Origins Game Fair
Booth opportunities at GAMA Expo and at Origins Game Fair
Complimentary retailer box following GAMA Expo (for retailer participants)
- Virtual classes and panels featuring industry experts and leaders
WHY APPLY
You’ll meet other inspiring, committed Fellows at a similar point in their gaming careers.
You’ll be part of a community of Fellows from multiple years, all supporting each other and sharing their experiences
Networking! The connections you make through GAMA, especially at the Expo and through mentors; are likely to impact your business in positive ways for years to come.
- A fantastic chance to receive regular mentorship and tailored advice in a structured way, every month.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
We welcome as broad a range of publishers and retailers into the tabletop community as possible, but there are some key components that applicants should possess.
- This program is only for businesses that are at least 51% owned and/or operated by members of historically underrepresented communities
Ideal publisher participants will have an existing title in-market or a late-stage prototype and a strong potential for growth
Ideal retailer participants will have an existing brick & mortar retail store established within the past 3 years or an online retail business with a strong desire to open a brick & mortar retail store.
- For legal reasons, all participants must be at least 18-years-old, and residents of the US or Canada.
APPLICATION PROCESS - APPLY HERE
All applications must be submitted between Wednesday June 18th and midnight Pacific time on July 31st. Once submitted, applications will all go through a uniform judging process:
- After the application window closes, all submissions will be sorted by basic eligibility criteria. Those who meet the criteria (listed above) will move on in the process.
- Applications will have names removed for the scoring process to avoid bias. A select group of Pathways team members will score the applications based on committee-approved rubrics.
The top scoring applications will be presented to the full committee for final approval.
Once the final choices are made, emails will be sent to all applicants to inform them of their acceptance or non-acceptance. Due to the large number of applicants, individual scores and feedback will not be provided.
WHAT ELSE TO KNOW
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I apply?
Applications open here on this page aiming for Origins 2025 and will close at near the end of July2025. Watch this space for a link to the application form.
How will the mentorship and peer coaching work?
Each Fellow will be matched with both a mentor and a peer coach to assist in their business development. Mentors are industry veterans with 5+ years of experience as a publisher or retailer while peer coaches are newer business professionals with 2-5 years of experience. By having access to professionals with varying levels of expertise, Fellows will learn from the proven success of industry leaders while building new skills and sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.
Mentors and peer coaches will help Fellows achieve their professional goals by providing introductions to other experts and resources made available through GAMA. Fellows will meet with their mentors and coaches virtually or in-person for a minimum of once a month throughout the duration of the program. Learn more about mentorship and peer coaches below.
The opinions and thoughts expressed by mentors and coaches are solely of those individuals, and does not purport to reflect the opinions, views or policies of GAMA or its members.
Will GAMA own my idea or my business if I participate?
No. You will retain ownership of your business and your intellectual property. The purpose of the Fellowship is to help you achieve your professional goals.
What if I have more questions?
If you have specific questions about your eligibility or general questions about the Horizons Fellowship, or have general DEI related questions, please feel free to send an email to Justine Coven.
HORIZONS FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS
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“The Fellowship opened up a whole new world of knowledge and connections that has helped me take my business to the next level. It was INTENSE, but like many worthwhile things the challenges were more than worth the final results. My mentor, Nicole, was incredible and having direct access to some of the most successful individuals in the tabletop games industry was, pardon my bad joke, a GAME changer. The monetary and travel perks are fantastic, but I advise future Fellows to realize that the most valuable aspect of the program is the friends and connections that you make along the way.”
Kimi Hughes, Golden Lasso Games (2023-2024 Cohort)
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“I can attest to the wonderful experiences I've had during the [Horizons Fellowship] program and how I got to meet some incredible content creators, prominent publishers, and more. The program challenged me to do things I've never done and experience the growing pains it takes to run a business. All this to say that I plan to continue to support this initiative as it elevates under recognized publishers and retailers, who will no doubt change the industry in a way only they can.”
Peter Yang, Looking for Greatness (2022-2023 Cohort)
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“[The Fellowship] helped me gain even more confidence. I’d never done a trade show, so being able to show my game in person and share the Dub This! experience with other people, supported my growth in this space. Pitching my game at the show was invaluable and has enhanced my pitching skills to this day.”
Desireé Vaughn, Dub This!
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“Initially a mentorship is what I wanted the most out of this, but I found another great aspect was the networking. The cherry on top was the beautiful booth I got to build with Chip Theory’s help. Having Expo in person this year was just the best. I’m grateful for every step of the way.”
– Ami Baio, Pink Tiger Games
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“I was pretty scared going into Expo. It was really nice to have help getting our booths together to look professional. Knowing that we’d built a support team and that we’d be near each other and could help each other out was important. At the Expo, there was an unexpected added benefit of honing your message. You get to test out your pitch over and over again. There’s a few moments where someone understands what you see in this game and then recognizes its potential [and that] means the world. Especially when you’d been struggling to get it out there. It just fills your heart. I teared up a few times hearing someone reflect back a true understanding of what we’re trying to do with our games.”
– Federico Chialvo, Joyful Mathematics
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“Our relationship with our mentor, Rebecca, was the most impactful element of the Fellowship. Because of the pandemic, most of our planning had been happening in isolation. Suddenly we found ourselves with a mentor who was so useful to us. When I applied, I thought ‘this is another time when they won’t see me.’ I’m queer and disabled and used to feeling like my disability and being queer would make it so I wasn’t seen. [The Fellowship] was a series of finding people who were so invaluable. We knew we needed it but didn’t have a way to manifest it.”
– Jesse Stommel, PlayForge
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"As the tabletop industry trade organization, GAMA is able to bring together experts from all parts of the industry to share their guidance, connections, and wealth of knowledge with the next generation of amazing industry professionals. We're so proud to be able to support such an incredible program!"
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Matt Fantastic, Forever Stoked Creative & GAMA Board Member
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