The 20 finalists in the 2005 Independent Games Festival were announced today, granting those games a shot at the prizes to be awarded at the Game Developers Conference next year. 10 games in two categories, selected by the festival jury, will be publicly displayed at GDC, with the winners snagging cash prizes for Innovation In Visual Arts, Innovation In Audio, Innovation In Game Design, and Technical Excellence, as well as the Audience Award and the top Independent Game of the Year prize.

Some of the more notable entries include The Behemoth's Alien Hominid (whose critically successful release makes it the best-known entry in the open competition) and Kisses, developed by students at the Nintendo-sponsored DigiPen Institute of Technology.