Massive game retailer GameStop has just put down a lot of money to support the creation of independent games. This week the company announced the launch of the first Indie Game Challenge which will give both professional and amature game development teams a chance to win a whole lot of money for their game.

How much, you may ask? Brace yourself. Both the professional and the non-professional grand prize winning teams will each receive $100,000 for their winning game. Not only that but all contest participants will get a chance to win a $50,000 scholarship to attend the game-oriented development school The Guildhall. 12 team finalists will also get to travel to Las Vagas this coming February for the DICE Summit where they will get to pitch their title to a unnamed game publisher for a possible publishing deal.

Entries for the contest are being taken from now until October 1. The finalists will be announced on January 15 and the two $100,000 grand prize winning teams will be revealed on February 19.