Since Unreal Engine 4’s launch, we’ve been amazed at the groundswell of cool projects in development by the Unreal community. One thing we’ve heard many times: While development can be fueled by creativity and determination alone, finishing and releasing a commercial project often requires money.

We know this firsthand, as Epic’s early projects were built on shoestring budgets funded by such sources as Tim Sweeney’s lawn-mowing earnings, and Mark Rein’s credit card (before they took it away from him!). A small budget can make all the difference in shipping a project with the content, marketing materials, and promotional expenses necessary for it to gain traction.

So, Epic Games has created a $5,000,000 fund to provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to select projects being built with and around Unreal Engine 4. Any project that has reached the “working prototype” stage of development is eligible for nomination, and all nominations will be considered based on merit.

The best part? There are absolutely no strings attached. Your project remains yours; you own your IP and publishing rights and you can spend any grant funds however you like. Epic’s goal is simply to help UE4 developers succeed because when you succeed, we succeed.

Unreal Dev Grants are open to games of all kinds on all platforms from developers anywhere in the world, and to cool non-game projects as well.

If you have or know of a UE4 project which is up and running, nominate it for an Unreal Dev Grant by visiting Unreal Dev Grants information page, or stop by Epic’s booth #1024 South at GDC. Grants will be considered based on a review of a working prototype of the project, and will be awarded over time as the cool stuff rolls in!

Editor's Note: You can check out the Unreal Dev Grants FAQ on the forums.