Epic AI MegaJam Submission Worksheet Before November 15 - 2026

If you searched epic ai megajam submission after joining the jam, you do not need another “vibe your way to $50k” poster. You need a fill-in submission worksheet that forces engine path, packaged Windows zip or UEFN private version code, a 30–60 second gameplay video, team/Epic email fields, optional Glass Box log, and a signed SUBMIT_OK before the November 15, 5:59 PM PST / 8:59 PM EST cliff.

Epic hosts the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam on itch. Submissions open with the jam (November 12) and close at that Sunday evening cliff. Late submissions are disqualified. Unreal Engine teams upload a packaged build (not an unpackaged project folder). UEFN teams submit a private version code — live island and playtest codes are rejected because they can change after the jam. Official packaging guidance sits in Epic’s Packaging Unreal Engine Projects docs. MCP setup (optional) lives under Unreal MCP in Unreal Editor.

This URL is the submit evening lab. It is not the lock list before November 12 (dates/engine pick before kickoff). It is not the Stop treating MegaJam as AI-mandatory. It is not the planned preflight-checks listicle or unpackaged Stop. Those own calendar lock, FAQ refusal, kickoff checks, and packaging refusal. This URL owns the fill-in submission receipt.

Why this matters now

Thousands of itch joiners (the jam page showed 3,554 Joined when evidence was collected) will still be polishing on Sunday afternoon with no zip name, no private version code, no video link, and no Epic-linked emails on the form. The failure mode is classic: theme-day heroics, engine thrash, upload at 5:58 PM PST, late DQ, or an unpackaged .uproject folder that judges cannot run.

Direct answer: Before you call the jam “submitted,” fill Sections A–I. Green means itch jam submit is complete with artifacts judges can open. Red means HOLD — package, mint the private version, shoot the video, or fix the form. Treat November 15, 5:59 PM PST as a hard cliff. Re-read the jam page the morning you submit — prize tables and eligibility can update.

Who fills this worksheet

Time: 90–180 minutes for first dry-run on day two; 45–90 minutes for final submit evening if dry-run passed.
Honest limit: The itch jam page + Official Rules are authorities. This worksheet summarizes submit mechanics — if itch and this page disagree, itch wins.

Non-repetition

Official facts you must quote (not invent)

From the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam page:

1. Build window November 12–15, 2026; submit by November 15, 5:59 PM PST / 8:59 PM EST.
2. Late submissions are disqualified.
3. Solo or up to five humans; agents unlimited; AI tools optional.
4. Pick Unreal Engine or UEFN — not both for the same team.
5. Do not start building the game before November 12; declare earlier prompts/scripts/assets.
6. Do not submit unpackaged Unreal Engine projects.
7. UE: package for Windows (development build); playable on Win10/11, macOS, Android, or iOS per jam notes; zip as TeamName_GameName; keep under 1 GB or use butler / Blendo Itch Uploader for larger builds; upload to your itch account then submit to the jam.
8. UEFN: submit a private version code (fixed snapshot) created before the deadline — not live island or playtest codes.
9. Both paths include: team name, each member’s name + Epic-linked email, game/island name, 30–60 second gameplay video link, optional (required for Glass Box) dev log link.
10. Judges score ambition, theme, fun, gameplay, visuals, level design/progression, audio (1–5).
11. Winners announced by January 29, 2027 (itch framing).
12. You own your game — see Official Rules.

Pasteable diligence line:

We ran an Epic AI MegaJam submission worksheet: locked UE vs UEFN, collected packaged zip or private version code, attached a 30–60s gameplay video, filled team/Epic emails, dry-ran itch upload before the Nov 15 5:59 PM PST cliff, and signed SUBMIT_OK (or HOLD with owner).

Section A — Submit lock (fill in)

A-gate: If engine path is blank or “both,” stop. If Official Rules unread, stop. If submit owner is “whoever is awake,” assign a name.

Beginner first path (twenty minutes)

1. Circle UE or UEFN.
2. Name the submit owner.
3. Write the cliff in your local timezone.
4. Fill Section A + B.
5. Do not start packaging until B-gate is green.

Section B — Eligibility + team roster

B-gate: Every seat has a name + Epic-linked email. Empty seats are not “TBD at submit.” Student claims need enrollment honesty.

Company note: Roster emails are diligence artifacts — treat them like partner contacts, not Discord nicknames.

Section C — Engine path split (fill the column you use)

C1 — Unreal Engine path

C1-gate: Package exists, named correctly, opens without the editor on a clean machine (or documented smoke machine). If size >1 GB, butler/Blendo plan written — not “hope web upload works.”

Official packaging: Packaging Unreal Engine Projects.

C2 — UEFN path

C2-gate: Private version code filled and minted before the deadline. Live/playtest codes fail this section by definition.

Section D — Gameplay video (30–60 seconds)

D-gate: Link opens without login theater; length in range; first five seconds are gameplay (jam tip). Trailer with logo-only open fails the spirit of the tip even if length is legal.

Creator tip: Shoot a draft video on day two. Final polish can swap the URL — empty “video TBD” at 5:50 PM PST is a DQ risk.

Section E — Dev log / Glass Box (optional unless claiming)

E-gate: If Glass Box = Y, URL required. If N, leave URL blank intentionally — do not paste a empty Notion and hope.

Jam tip: keep notes as you go. MCP setup notes can live here without making AI mandatory — see the AI-optional Stop.

Section F — itch upload + jam submit mechanics

F-gate: Confirmation screenshot filed. “Upload started” without confirmation is not SUBMIT_OK.

Dev path: Dry-run upload on day two with a tiny placeholder zip or test page so Sunday is not the first time you meet itch upload limits.

Section G — Modifier + category honesty

G-gate: Do not claim Solo Driver and Best Team. Do not claim Walkie-Talkie without LLM-powered conversation NPCs. Pocket Powerhouse needs a real mobile playable path.

Section H — Pre-submit refuse ladder

Fail H3–H6 and you do not get to tweet “we submitted” while the zip is still cooking.

Section I — Decision latch + receipt

RECEIPT: MEGAJAM_SUBMISSION_WORKSHEET_v1
date: ________
team: ________
engine: UE / UEFN
artifact: zip_url_or_private_version: ________
video_url: ________
devlog_url_or_NONE: ________
itch_confirm_screenshot: ________
h_ladder_pass_y_n: ________
decision: SUBMIT_OK / HOLD / WITHDRAW
cliff_local: ________
owner_sign: ________
notes: ________

Latch SUBMIT_OK only when A–F gates are green and H1–H6 pass. Latch HOLD with a named blocker (package fail, code not minted, video missing). Latch WITHDRAW if eligibility breaks — do not ghost a half-upload.

Beginner path — submission evening order

Prerequisites: joined the jam on itch; engine chosen; game playable enough to film. Skim Unreal Engine guide hub if packaging vocabulary is new. Paste Discord updates via communities in the 25 Discords resource.

1. Fill Section A — cliff in local time.
2. Fill Section B — roster emails.
3. Complete only C1 or C2.
4. Shoot/upload Section D video.
5. Decide Glass Box (Section E).
6. Upload + jam submit (Section F) with ≥90 minutes buffer.
7. Run H ladder; sign Section I.
8. Paste Discord: “SUBMIT_OK — zip/code + video + form done.”
9. Stop feature work after SUBMIT_OK — polish does not reopen a closed private version without a new mint before the cliff.
10. Archive receipt + screenshots in the team drive.

Common beginner mistakes: submitting an unpackaged project folder; using a live UEFN island code; video that is 12 seconds of title card; missing Epic-linked emails; starting itch upload at 5:50 PM PST; dual-engine “just in case.”

Developer path — dry-run on day two

1. Package a Development Windows build early; smoke on a clean machine.
2. Practice TeamName_GameName.zip naming and itch project page creation.
3. If >1 GB, configure butler or Blendo before Sunday.
4. UEFN: mint a throwaway private version mid-jam to learn the UI; mint the final private version when content freezes.
5. Keep a submit runbook: package → smoke → zip → upload → jam submit → screenshot.
6. Clock discipline: freeze content T−3 hours; submit T−90 minutes; human buffer for itch blips.
7. Optional MCP/agents: set up before Nov 12 so submit evening is not “fix the agent” night (Unreal MCP docs).
8. Do not expose MCP beyond safe local gates — see the MCP loopback Stop.
9. Log license attributions for Fab/third-party assets in the itch text fields.
10. After submit, tag the exact changelist / private version in git notes for continuation-grant storytelling.

Creator Monday (or Sunday) checklist

• [ ] Cliff converted to local time and pinned in Discord.
• [ ] Engine path single and public to the team.
• [ ] Submit owner named.
• [ ] Roster emails filled.
• [ ] Package or private version ready.
• [ ] Video link live (30–60s).
• [ ] Glass Box decision conscious.
• [ ] itch confirmation screenshot filed.
• [ ] SUBMIT_OK signed or HOLD named.
• [ ] Lock-list sibling linked for anyone still arguing dates.
• [ ] AI-optional Stop linked if someone claims “must use AI to submit.”
• [ ] Feature freeze after submit.

Failure modes

CapEx four-liner (diligence zip cover)

1. Scope — MegaJam entry artifacts complete before Nov 15 5:59 PM PST: packaged UE zip or UEFN private version code + video + roster emails + itch confirmation.
2. Cost — day-two dry-run evening vs Sunday DQ / unpackaged reject.
3. Evidence — worksheet A–I + screenshots + artifact ids.
4. Owner — named submit lead who refuses LATE_SUBMIT folklore.

Worked example — Unreal Engine trio

Team of three, stylized action prototype, Windows package ~800 MB.

1. A: UE circled; submit owner = Pat; cliff in local time pinned.
2. B: three Epic-linked emails; Best Team intent.
3. C1: Development package; TrioFox_Dash.zip; clean PC smoke PASS.
4. D: 45s unlisted YouTube; gameplay at 0:02.
5. E: Glass Box Y with Notion log of scope cuts + one agent session.
6. F: itch project uploaded day two dry-run; final upload Sunday T−2h; screenshot filed.
7. H + I: SUBMIT_OK signed.

Worked example — UEFN solo

Solo island with LLM NPC conversations (Walkie-Talkie interest).

1. A: UEFN; solo; submit owner = self.
2. B: one email; Solo Driver + Walkie-Talkie honesty check.
3. C2: private version minted after content freeze; live code not used.
4. D: 40s capture from the private version playable build.
5. E: optional log of conversation prompts.
6. F: itch form with island name + private version code + video.
7. I: SUBMIT_OK; no further island edits that would require a new private version after the cliff.

Opinion spine — what the worksheet forces

Quotable takeaway: Fill the MegaJam submission worksheet before November 15. Lock lists open the jam. This receipt closes it — package or private version, video, form, SUBMIT_OK.

Key takeaways

1. Submit cliff: Nov 15, 5:59 PM PST / 8:59 PM EST — late = DQ.
2. One engine path: UE or UEFN, not both.
3. UE: packaged build; zip naming; size/butler plan.
4. UEFN: private version code only — not live/playtest.
5. Both: roster + Epic emails + 30–60s video.
6. Glass Box needs a real dev log URL.
7. Dry-run itch upload on day two.
8. Buffer ≥90 minutes before the cliff.
9. AI is optional — do not thrash submit night for agents.
10. Lock list sibling owns pre-Nov-12; this URL owns submit artifacts.
11. Sign MEGAJAM_SUBMISSION_WORKSHEET_v1.
12. CapEx four-liner belongs in the diligence zip.
13. Re-read itch Official Rules the morning you submit.
14. Quotable: lock lists open; submission worksheets close.
15. Continuation grants need a clean jam snapshot story — archive artifact ids.

FAQ

Is the lock list enough to submit?

No. The lock list locks dates and engine before kickoff. This worksheet collects the actual submit artifacts and confirmation.

Can I submit an Unreal project folder?

No. The jam page forbids unpackaged Unreal Engine projects. Package a playable build.

What is a UEFN private version code?

A fixed snapshot of your island that cannot be changed after you create it. Live island and playtest codes are not accepted.

Do I have to use AI to submit?

No. AI tools are optional. See the AI-mandatory Stop.

How long should the gameplay video be?

30–60 seconds, with gameplay early (jam tip: first five seconds).

What if my zip is over 1 GB?

Use butler or Blendo Itch Uploader as the jam page directs — plan this before Sunday.

Can one team enter UE and UEFN?

No. Pick one submission process.

When are winners announced?

Itch framing: by January 29, 2027 — re-check the jam page.

What if upload fails at 5:50 PM PST?

That is why the worksheet demands buffer and day-two dry-run. Late = DQ per jam page.

Where do I join and submit?

https://itch.io/jam/2026-epic-ai-megajam

Does online vs SF in-person change judging?

No — jam page says online and in-person entries are judged the same way.

Can I keep working after submit?

Yes for your own continued development, but keep the jam version as the submitted build/snapshot. Continuation grants are separate.

Sources

• 2026 Epic AI MegaJam (itch.io)
• Packaging Unreal Engine Projects
• Unreal MCP in Unreal Editor
• Epic Developer Community MegaJam topic