The Develop Industry Excellence Awards, the premier celebration of European games development talent, will take place on Wednesday July 12th 2006 alongside the creative sector's new conference and expo in Brighton, UK.

Now in their fourth year the Develop Industry Excellence Awards are designed to recognize and celebrate the talent, innovation and imagination that goes into the creation of games and game technologies.

Over 400 senior directors, investors and studio owners will mix with programmers, producers, artists and musicians on the night. The move to Brighton in 2006 will see the event grow, reflecting the vibrant nature of the European games development sector. The Awards will be presented in the midst of the Develop Conference & Expo, which is itself set to attract just under 1,000 delegates and exhibitors from all corners of the business.

There will be 18 awards up for grabs, running across dedicated categories such as Most Improved Studio, New Console IP, Best Use of Online, Publishing Hero and Development Team of the Year.

Last year's big winners included Juice Games, which took the prize for best New European Studio; Traveller's Tales scooped Best Use of a Licence, Most Improved Studio and Best Independent Developer, whilst Creative Assembly picked up the prestigious Grand Prix Award.

"Our awards provide the only dedicated European recognition for everything from genuine innovators to service companies. The move to Brighton is a natural one and will enable us to create a bigger event whilst keeping costs down," said Develop publisher and Intent Media boss Stuart Dinsey.

"By tapping into the community already heading to Brighton for the conference and expo, we will have a more vibrant, fraternal atmosphere. It's good to get out of London and do something different, especially in the middle of summer."