UKIE’s Twist wins Outstanding Contribution gong at Women in Games Awards

The winners of this year’s Women in Games Awards have been revealed.

UKIE’s Dr Jo Twist walked away with the Outstanding Contribution prize, following a video from her industry colleagues praising her many achievements and huge impact on the UK games market.

Meanwhile, the Businesswoman of the Year prize went to Team17’s Debbie Bestwick, and Campaigner was awarded to Kirsty Payne of Special Effect.

Winning the Creative Impact achievement was Siobhan Reddy of LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway studio Media Molecule.

Sony London’s Karen Stanley won the Rising Star Prize, while Unsung Hero went to Tanya Laird, director of Digital Jam.

The event was co-hosted by MCV and the Women in Games (WIGJ) organisation and saw the Top 30 Women in Games honoured, whilst naming the winners of six special awards.

The winners are:-

Rising Star: Karen Stanley, Environment Artist Sony London Studios

Businesswoman of the Year: Debbie Bestwick, CEO, Team17

Creative Impact: Siobhan Reddy, Co-Founder, Media Molecule

Unsung Hero: Tanya Laird, Director, Digital Jam

Campaigner: Kirsty Payne, VP, SpecialEffect

Outstanding Contribution: Dr Jo Twist, CEO, UKIE

In addition, the Top 30 Women in Games were honoured. They are:-

Debbie Bestwick – CEO, Team 17

Katherine Bidwell – Co-Founder, State of Play

Emily Britt – Consumer Marketing Director, Pokemon Company

Noirin Carmody – Co-Founder, Revolution; Chair, UKIE

Cat Channon – Director of PR, WB Games

Jo Cooke – Director of Marketing, Frontier Developments

Jessica Curry – Composer/Studio Head, The Chinese Room

Rosemarie Dalton – International Marketing Manager, Bethesda Softworks

Angela Dickson – Sales Director, Activision

Amanda Farr – Head of Content & Services, Xbox

Gina Jackson – MD, Next Gen Skills Academy

Charlotte Knight – UK Retail MD, GAME

Nina Kristensen – Co-Founder, Ninja Theory

Veronique Lallier – VP European Publishing, Hi-Rez Studios

Roberta Lucca – Co-Founder, Bossa Studios

Keza MacDonald – Editor, Kotaku

Caroline Miller – MD, Indigo Pearl

Kat Osman – MD, Lick PR

Kirsty Payne – VP, Special Effect

Rhianna Pratchett – Scriptwriter

Siobhan Reddy – Co-Founder, Media Molecule

Helena Santos – Lead Programmer, Modern Dream Games

Sarah Seaby – European Marketing & PR Director

Fiona Sperry – Founder, Three Fields Entertainment

Giselle Stewart OBE – Director of Corporate Affairs, Ubisoft

Dr Maria Stukoff – Head of Academic Development, PlayStation

Timea Tabori – Engine Programmer, Rockstar North

Dr Siobhan Thomas – Head of Games Courses, London South Bank University

Dr Jo Twist – CEO, UKIE

Catherine Woolley – Senior Games Designer, Creative Assembly

When I first joined the games industry, women were very much in the minority, particularly in senior positions," saidJenny Richards-Stewart, CEO of Women in Games (WIGJ), and a games industry veteran herself.

"More still needs to be done, but it is really fantastic to see the contribution made to the games industry by women in all disciplines. We’re delighted to be rewarding their work.”

The Women in Games Awards are supported by Facebook and Twitch.