The first and second place winners of the Red Stripe Flavours Game App Competition received their prizes last Friday, October 15, at the Red Stripe headquarters. Winners JusDev Studios walked away with a big cheque of $300,000, while Beer Brew walked away with $100,000 for their game Brew Beer.

Competition judge Andre Millwood and Red Stripe Flavours Brand Manager Melissa-Kim Dunkley were present at the handing-over ceremony, sharing in the excitement of the winners.

JusDev Studios members Danhai Williams, Adrian Hemans, and Joel Moder revelled in their rewards, amidst missing team lead Zayne Francis, who was unable to attend the ceremony.

The members of the winning group said that it was great to see all their hard work pay off.

“It’s still sinking in even after all this time of learning that we won. It’s really the result of so much hard work, that it’s just really great to have it pay off this way,” Williams shared.

Kayon Ferguson, a member of the all-woman, second-placed team Beer Brew with Savannah McDonald, shared that she has been interested in game design from a very young age.

“To know that I’m making a footprint in this industry is a big deal for me,” she said.

With her next move to do a master’s degree in game design in the United States, Ferguson is hoping to return to Jamaica to continue building on the small gaming industry.

“There’s need for much stimulation from a capital perspective as well as from a value perspective. Because over the years having been a part of the start-up ecosystem… and when Kingston-beta was going on we haven’t [advanced much] in that regard. But things like this game app competition is a positive sign of the corporate bodies, such as Red Stripe, looking at the market and starting that stimulation,” Millwood shared.

Dunkley expressed that the Red Stripe Flavours Game App Competition is an expansion of Red Stripe’s Creators Challenge.

“We haven’t had anything specifically for people who develop web apps, game apps, etc. So this was a good way to involve our developers… and have really great ideas for the brand. We’ve really made a commitment to our creative community because they do take care of us and do really support us as a brand,” she shared, adding that Red Stripe will work to make the competition an annual event.