Esports Events Incubator

The BESF is very excited to launch the Esports Events Incubator: a brand new support program to encourage and help our stakeholders with organizing more grassroots esports events. Thanks to the support of the players of the national lottery, the BESF aims to grant a subsidy to between 5 to 10 new esports events in 2026! All information and the application form can be found in this article.

In September 2024, the BESF started its stakeholder engagement project with half-yearly stakeholder meetings and smaller working groups to give esports stakeholders in Belgium the opportunity to provide their feedback and to be actively involved in the working of the BESF. The most common concerns that we captured were that there is a lack of esports events in Belgium and a lack of funding for teams and organizers. In response to that feedback we started working out the Esports Events Incubator to stimulate stakeholders to organize more events, to reduce financial risks for them and to guide them to make their event successful. 

For this year, the BESF got a budget of 5000 euros granted to subsidize events in 2026. The focus is on supporting 5 to 10 smaller-scale events (with growth potential), rather than 1 or 2 big events. The events supported this year will report their results, which we’ll use to build out a portfolio to try to expand the budget for the incubator in the coming years.

How it works

Any organizer that wants to organize a new esports event or new esports initiative at an existing event (organizing an esports tournament at an existing gaming fair, for example) can apply for a subsidy through the application form below. The only hard requirements are that the event takes place in Belgium or serves the Belgian community and that the organizer is able to invoice the BESF.

Depending on the number of applications, a selection of events will be made to hold a small online pitch for a jury of people with experience in esports and/or event management. To make this process as objective and transparent as possible, the jury will be scoring applications with an evaluation matrix that will be made publicly available before the start of the pitches. 

Each applicant will receive the jury decision, along with their scores and comments along all of the evaluation criteria. This process is designed to be a learning experience. Our aim is not only to decide who gets a subsidy but also that every applicant receives valuable feedback to improve their event.

The event will be scored on different criteria within 4 major categories:

•        Overall event concept and long-term vision and strategy    
•       Quality of the event and financial management planning    
•       Provided added value of the event to the Belgian esports ecosystem    
•       (Bonus) Societal value of the event     

The organizers that got a subsidy granted will have to send their invoices in December and will get paid by the end of the year. That means everything will be paid out before the start of the event. An event can only get the subsidy two years in a row.

Timeline

•        15/09: Opening for the event applications    
•       31/10: Application deadline    
•       01/11 - 30/11: Pitches    
•       10/12: Deadline for the selected events to send their invoices    
•       31/12: Deadline for the pay-out of the subsidies    

Supporting the Esports Events Incubator

As the BESF, we are continually looking for companies, organizations and other stakeholders that want to support grassroots esports events.

If you want to support events in any way (i.e. offering materials, a location, expertise, a financial contribution through the incubator, …) and/or you want to serve on the incubator jury, please send an email to [email protected].