Gish and Wik and the Fable of Souls have been selected as the top titles of the Independent Games Festival, the Sundance Festival of the video game world. Gish and Wik were awarded in the open and web downloadable categories, respectively, at a ceremony at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Chronic Logic for Gish and Reflexive Entertainment for Wik and the Fable of Souls were on hand to each receive a $15,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Game development teams competed for more than $40,000 in cash prizes.

"The IGF is an outlet for independent developers daring to take creative risks and push innovative thoughts," explains Simon Carless, co-chairman, IGF. "This year's winners are a group of professionals who stepped out of the ordinary and ventured into a whimsical and ingenious space."

Independent game developers, similar to independent filmmakers, usually work with shoestring budgets. With the growing community of independent game developers emerging over the past decade, the IGF has taken center stage at recognizing these creators.

The IGF recognized the following awards in each category, also highlighting a number of other excellent indie games which won other categories:

Seumas McNally Award:
Gish by Chronic Logic (Open)
Wik and the Fable of Souls by Reflexive Entertainment (Web/Downloadable)

Innovation in Game Design:
Gish by Chronic Logic (Open)
Wik and the Fable of Souls by Reflexive Entertainment (Web/Downloadable)

Innovation in Audio:
Steer Madness by Veggie Games (Open)
Global Defense Network by Evertt.com (Web/Downloadable)

Innovation in Visual Art:
Alien Hominid by The Behemoth (Open)
Wik and the Fable of Souls by Reflexive Entertainment (Web/Downloadable)

Technical Excellence:
Alien Hominid by The Behemoth (Open)
RocketBowl by Large Animal Games (Web/Downloadable)

Audience Award:
Alien Hominid by The Behemoth (Open)
N by Metanet Software Inc. (Web/Downloadable)

Cartoon Network also announced the winner of Project Goldmaster. Digital Builders has been selected to design a game based on a Cartoon Network character.