The jury has been announced for the upcoming Game Connection Marketing Awards sponsored by [a]list.  The lineup of judges represents a cross-section of the industry, bringing together senior folks from publishers, first-party, game press, indie development and digital games.

As one of the judges, Richard Iggo has been more accustomed to receiving awards this year than helping dish them out.  Iggo heads marketing on Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, a multiple award winner that took home game of the year at Spike VGA and downloadable game of the year at the DICE awards. Other members of the jury are no stranger to awards.  The judging process shields all members from voting on any submissions from their own organizations.

“Videogame marketers are behind the most effective and innovative campaigns in the entertainment industry, often driven to incredible feats of creative ingenuity by unparalleled competition,” said Iggo after joining the jury. “These awards recognize the talent behind the campaigns we see that continually drive our craft to new heights.”

Stephanie Johnson has been heading marketing on hugely popular franchises for Warner Bros., including Harry Potter and LEGO Batman.  On being selected, Johnson said, “Recognizing the first-class campaigns that the game industry creates is something that I not only look forward to supporting as a judge, but just viewing as a gaming enthusiast.”

Microsoft’s Taylor Smith channeled his passion for Xbox, giving this statement on his selection to the jury: “It takes a gamer and a marketer to pull the cheevos out of the games themselves, and pull them into the marketing.”

Game Connection is accepting submissions now through February 22.  There is no fee to enter or accept trophies, meaning game publishers and developers of all stripes have an opportunity for marketing “cheevos” (a.k.a. achievements) without having to put up hundreds of dollars.

The Game Connection Marketing Awards 2013 jury is made up of the following members:

Carlson Choi, VP Marketing, Namco Bandai

Colin Cupp, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Mochi Media

Richard Iggo, Senior Director of Marketing, Telltale Games

Stephanie Johnson, Director of Marketing, Warner Bros.

Rupert Loman, Founder, Eurogamer

Tim Pivnicny, VP Sales and Marketing, ATLUS Games

Alexandre Scriabine, Acquisition Manager, EA

Taylor Smith, Senior Director, Xbox Global Marketing Communications, Microsoft

Source: Game Connection Marketing Awards