Responding to allegations of voting improprieties, the Independent Games Festival has issued a statement denying that the proceedings are fixed, outlining their internal process for selecting the winners of their annual awards. They also say they are taking this matter seriously:

The IGF (and its parent company, which has looked into these claims) would like to assure all entrants and gamers that we take the idea of conflict of interest seriously in selecting our judging and jurying pools. Worries about the Independent Games Festival are nothing new (thanks to its perceived 'star-making' qualities), but for those who are unaware, we'll explain again how the process works.

The explanation below is the process we've had in place since 2011, and, in the interest of transparency, it will be officially added to our FAQ in the coming days.