We play games for many reasons: to challenge our brains, to entertain ourselves, or to socialize with loved ones. One of the biggest reasons, of course, is to relax. Amid the chaos of our busy day-to-day lives, it’s nice to unplug and unwind with our favorite games. Some games lend themselves particularly well to relaxation, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for.

The challenge this time is Design An 18 Card Game That… Is Cozy!

What is a “cozy game”? It varies from person to person, but in general cozy games share a few common traits.

• A comforting, feel-good theme
• Low complexity, with easy-to-learn rules
• Clean card design with straightforward icons and text
• Minimal competitive interaction
• Low stakes, both in the theme and the gameplay

Since coziness can be hard to define, here’s a few examples of games that we think fit the definition. If your design feels like it could sit comfortably next to these, it’s probably a good entry for this challenge.

• PARKS
• Flamecraft
• A Place For All My Books
• High Tide
• Coffee Roaster
• Railroad Ink

And a few Button Shy examples:

• Tussie Mussie
• Tides
• A Nice Cuppa

We invite you to join the community behind these awesome games

Let’s give you a place to share your ideas or designs, ask questions, look for playtesters, and get feedback from other designers. The Button Shy Discord server has a whole section for designers and a subsection for each of our contests. Visit it here and join along: https://discord.gg/aUBMvnu

Questions & Answers

Q: Can I use both sides of each card for gameplay? 

A: Yes.

Timeline

Submissions will be accepted from now until October 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST.

The winner will be announced on or before January 15, 2026.

Submission Requirements

Fill out the following form with the below information. You must provide all of the requirements below, including a pitch video, in order to qualify for judging.

SUBMISSION FORM: COMING SOON

• Game Description: Including Designer Name(s), Game Title, Player Count, and Brief Description of the game play.
• Print-and-Play File: This should include the rules and game files. We recommend formatting the PNP at 9 cards per page with no bleed, or gutterfold. This makes it significantly easier for us to print and test them. The file can be hosted on either your own site, or a public one like Dropbox or Google Drive, or included as an attachment. IF YOUR FILES HAVE PERMISSIONS, PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY ARE OPEN SO THAT WE CAN SEND TO OTHER JUDGES.
• Short Pitch Video: No more than 1 minute. This doesn't need to be any more than a handheld phone video, but we just request to see some visuals of the gameplay. We do not need a full play through or anything fancy. WE RECOMMEND YOUTUBE OR VIMEO. WE WILL BE USING SOME VIDEOS IN OUR RESULTS POSTS.

Prize

The winner will receive $100, paid via Paypal. All entries may be considered for publication by Button Shy Games (and if so, will be offered a contract with royalties like any other design that we publish).

The following ideas and mechanics are suggested against. These are things we see a lot of, are hard to market, or which conflict with games we already publish.

• Dexterity
• Trick Taking
• Clones of Button Shy Games. A big one is Sprawlopolis (map-building games with a 2x2 grid on the cards)
• Games where you make and rearrange a 3x3 grid for the whole game
• Games where you set up 3 lanes and compete head to head across the lanes 
• Games where players simultaneously reveal cards, compare them and that's it
• Roleplaying or storytelling games

Rules and Restrictions

• 1 submission max per person. This includes your own designs and designs with a partner / group.
• Designers must be 18 years or older to enter, unless co-designing with a parent or legal guardian.
• All submissions should be complete and playable.
• All designs remain the intellectual property of the designers.
• Only graphics required for gameplay are needed for submission. This is not an art challenge. We will not be evaluating the artwork or graphics of submissions in any way to determine the winner.
• AI-generated artwork is not permitted. We understand that it’s an effective way to add art to your design. However, we are not evaluating games for their artwork. Since all of the current AI methods are potentially trained on artists’ work without their consent and without compensation, we ask that you do not use it in your submission.
• The game must be exactly 18 cards.  
• Cards must be poker size, not square. 
• Each submission should be for a single game only (no game systems or multi-decks that support multiple different games). Additional modes, such as a solo mode, are acceptable.
• The players cannot write on/mark the cards, cut them, or modify them in any other way.
• You may not use or require any additional components, including the typical Button Shy wallet packaging, in this design. Players should be able to track any relevant information using the cards, or in their heads, without calculators or paper. 
• Rules, including diagrams, must fit on 2 pages of a US Letter document with a minimum font size of 10.
• Designs must be original works that do not infringe on any intellectual property.
• Submissions must not be available for sale through any retail, secondary or print-on-demand market and may not be currently under consideration for publication by other publishers.

Disclaimer

We may feature the game images and submission videos on our website and social media. We will not be providing feedback on all entries, but hopefully seeing the finalists and winner will show why specific games pushed through the competition. We plan to keep our comments positive, and highlight why a game won instead of why a game lost.

Good luck everyone!