Epic AI MegaJam offers $65,000 in prizes for a four-day November game jam
Solo developers and teams of up to five can enter with an Unreal Engine or UEFN game. Standout entries may also receive separate continuation grants of up to $50,000 to develop their projects after the competition.
Registration is open for the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, a competition running November 12–15. Despite the name, the official FAQ says participants do not have to use AI. Teams can choose their tools, but their playable game must be built with Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite.
The main cash prizes cover best overall Unreal Engine and UEFN entries and the best student project. Additional awards recognise areas including solo development, visual work, mobile games, development documentation and a narrative-driven UEFN project using LLM-powered characters. The advertised competition prize pool is $65,000.
Development Continuation Grants are separate from that prize pool. Epic says selected standout projects can receive up to $50,000 to keep working after the jam. Neither joining the competition nor submitting a playable entry guarantees a grant.
Participants must be at least 18 and hold an active Epic Games account; the linked official rules determine full eligibility and jurisdiction restrictions. Developers can work alone or with up to four other people. A team must choose Unreal Engine or UEFN, rather than enter both tracks.
The submission deadline is November 15 at 5:59 p.m. PST. Unreal Engine teams upload a packaged game through itch.io; UEFN teams provide a fixed private version code. Both routes require a 30–60 second gameplay video and team details. Late submissions are disqualified.
Tool setup can happen before kickoff, but the jam game itself should not be built before November 12. Online and in-person entries are judged on the same basis; attendance in San Francisco is optional. Epic originally announced the competition on October 22, so this is an open-opportunity briefing rather than a claim that the jam launched today.