Ember is a two-week online Game Jam for teenagers, hosted by Hack Club.

THEME

The theme is the same as Hack Club Campfire: "Beneath the Surface!"

PRIZES

First, EVERYBODY who submits will get shipped a custom Ember sticker sheet:

Art by Tongyu

On top of that, there are ways to win even bigger prizes:

Prizes are awarded to every team member. If you win a ticket to Open Sauce but can't attend, you can trade it for a Steam license. The 1st place prize lets you qualify for any event that accepts games as submissions.

SUBMISSIONS

For Ember, you're submitting a prototype:

• This is a very limited working copy of your game.
• Prioritize playability over anything else. If it doesn't run, it won't win anything.
• Your prototype MUST run in-browser here on itch.io. This is required to reduce malware and make voting easier.
• NSFW content, hateful content, or overly graphic content is not allowed. We'll be lenient, but use your judgement.
• Open Source is a core part of Hack Club, and your project must be open source on GitHub or an equivalent service.

You need to submit your game here by Sunday, March 15th, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST. There will be no grace period, so upload your game to itch.io well before the deadline to prevent running into last-minute issues! If you need help with exporting your project, feel free to ask for help in the Hack Club Slack.

VOTING

Ember uses a mix of peer voting and judged awards. Voting takes place on a 1-5 scale, across five categories: Creativity, Theming, Artwork, Audio and Enjoyment.

After submissions close, everyone will be asked to vote on at least five other submissions. After that, you can play and vote on as many other games as you want.
Voting will close five days after the submission deadline, on March 20th, 2026 at 11:59PM EST.

After this, the top 50 games will enter the next round, where a panel of judges will play and rate each game to determine the final winners!

And remember, even if you didn't win, you still made something awesome and won some free stickers. Hack Club will continue to run awesome opportunities like this in the future, so stay in the loop on new events by joining the Hack Club Slack!

FAQ

Can I work in a team?
Teams are allowed and encouraged (but not required)! Check out the #ember-jam channel in the Hack Club Slack to find someone to team up with. The maximum team size is three.

Can I use asset packs?
You are heavily encouraged to make your own assets, but you're free to use assets you have the license to as long as your project follows the Itch.io TOS and our guidelines above.

Can I use AI?
AI-generated assets (art, music, etc) are not allowed! While the use of AI to assist development is allowed, no more than 1/3 of your project can be written using AI, and you may not write your game description using AI.

Do I need to have participated in Campfire, or continue my Campfire project?
You do not need to have participated in Campfire to take part in Ember, nor do you need to continue your Campfire project if you did participate! Feel free to start a new project or form a new team.

Do I need to use a certain game engine? Can I use any game engine?
You can use whatever engine you'd like, as long as it can export to the web!

Do I need to be a teenager to participate?
To participate in Ember, you must be 18 or under by the end of the event. If you win a prize, you'll need to verify your age.

Do I need to install Hackatime?
Nope! You can participate in Ember without Hackatime.

COMMUNITY

Ember is aimed at all skill levels. That's why we're here to help! Join the Hack Club Slack to meet other teenage hackers, find a team, or ask around for help with your project!

Ember is a Hack Club event, run by teenagers, for teenagers.