The Indie RPG Awards were started back in 2002 to celebrate and recognize the drive and passion of the Role-Playing Game designers who wrote and published their works themselves, with minimal (if any) outside financial or labor support.

These awards were created to bring recognition to the folks in the RPG industry who brought games out into the market through their own resources and talents: small press RPG designers and publishers. Too often independently produced RPGs are overlooked by gamers and game awards for games produced by companies with far more resources, both in manpower and budget. Small press publishers, though they may lack in high production costs and huge print runs, often make up for it with innovative designs and a passion for creation. There is nothing wrong with the large-press design, and this isn't meant to "Stick it to the Man". Rather these are to reward, and help promote, the designers who went from concept to publishing by their own hard work. The Indie Awards are for these individuals.   More detail...