OST Composing Jam 8

Hosted by Lone Rabbit · #OSTCompJam

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Overview

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Submissions open from 2025-08-29 16:00:00 to 2025-09-07 16:00:00

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Compose an original soundtrack of any style for an imaginary game!

DETAILS

Create an original game soundtrack that is at least 3 minutes long in total. The tracks should be connected in style or mood, rather than sounding like they come from completely different games. To help with this, you are encouraged to use recurring musical ideas or leitmotifs.

You can write in any genre you prefer, such as 8-bit, orchestral, electronic, ambient, or anything else that fits your vision. Tracks can include vocals or lyrics. They may be loopable, fade out, have a proper ending, or flow into each other, depending on what suits your soundtrack.

To submit, you must upload your original audio files in .mp3, .wav, or .flac format to the jam page on Itch.io. You also need to upload them to a streaming platform of your choice, such as SoundCloud, to make them easy to listen to. Along with your music, please include a screen recording or screenshots, or a PDF showing your DAW, score, or tracker. This is to verify that you are the original creator.

You may also include a written description of what kind of game your soundtrack is made for, and what each track represents within the game.

All submissions must be completely original and must not include any copyrighted material.

Listen to the previous jam's submissions!

ABOUT

Hey there, and welcome to OST Composing Jam!

This is a place where musicians of all skill levels come together to write soundtracks for imaginary games just for fun, growth, and creativity. It started as a small idea and has now become one of the biggest music jams on Itch.io. Whether you're a seasoned composer or trying this for the first time, this is a space to explore storytelling through music, push your creativity, and be part of a supportive community of like-minded artists.

Don't forget to join our Discord!

THEME

TBA

(Choose either the text theme or the picture theme, or both!)

Note: The themes here are more like an inspiration, and strictly speaking there are no specific "musical theme" for you to follow and that you can compose in any genre you want, so the submissions can be as diverse as possible.

JUDGES

TBA

RULES & FAQ

How long?	at least 3 minutes, maximum 20 minutes (entire soundtrack combined)
How many tracks?	at least 2 tracks per composer (e.g. if a submission have 2 team members, there has to be at least 4 tracks)
What do I need to submit?	When creating the project on itch.io, you will need to upload the following: • .mp3, .wav or .flac file of the track(s) ○ The title of the file should also have your username on it (e.g. Lone Rabbit - Great Example.wav) • Screen recording or screenshot(s) evidence of your DAW ○ Uploaded as screenshot(s) or mp4 file on itch.io ○ to YouTube as screen recording ○ or as .pdf if a score on itch.io • Cover art (optional but ideal to differentiate your submission) ○ The cover size on itch.io is 630x500 px ○ If you are using the picture theme as your cover art, please always credit the artist in your description. ○ If you are using an AI-generated image, please do not use the picture theme as an image prompt as some artists are uncomfortable with that. When submitting to the jam, you will be asked for the following: ○ Description of entry (e.g. genre, runtime, software you used, inspirations, your process, etc.) ○ Chosen theme ○ How does it fit the theme? (optional) ○ Link to streaming service of your choice (preferably SoundCloud or YouTube) ○ Soundtrack use permission, would you like others to be able to use your soundtrack? ○ Your contact information

Question	Answer
Q: Will there be any themes?	A: Yes, there will be a picture and word theme (choose one or both) announced at the start of the jam.
Q: What program/DAW can I use?	A: You can use any programs, DAWs, or Trackers you want. You can even handwrite your scores and perform it yourself.
Q: Can I work in teams?	A: You can only work in solo or in groups of no more than 3. However, you can have additional people to record parts for your soundtrack.
Q: Can I use pre-made loops?	A: Yes, as long as the majority of the work is still your own composition and arrangement.
Q: How about samples and sfx?	A: Yes, but please make sure you have the legal rights to use them.
Q: Can I submit a soundtrack for a game that already exists?	A: No, it is required that all participants compose an original soundtrack for a game that does not yet exist before the jam.
Q: Can I submit multiple entries?	A: No
Q: When can I start?	A: When the jam starts! You can check when the jam starts in your local time at the top of this page.
Q: Can I use this jam to finish/submit an existing project I already started on?	A: No, it is required that all participants start from scratch for this jam.
Q: Can I use the soundtrack I composed for other projects later on?	A: Yes, we do not own anything you submit. All rights are reserved to the original composer(s).
Q: Can it be a remix?	A: No, but you can take some inspirations and ideas from them!
Q: Can I use AI?	A: Use of AI to generate composition is strictly not allowed. Use of AI as a tool/instrument such as Vocaloids and text-to-speech synthesis is allowed.
Q: I'm having trouble uploading/submitting!	A: How to upload and submit your soundtrack!

CHANGELOGS

Added maximum soundtrack duration of 20 minutes (from no limit)
At least 2 tracks per artist per submission is now required (from at least 1 track per submission)
Added Rating Queue (Rating queue size: 5, Rating queue unlock size: 10)
Replaced Correlation to Theme rating category with a new Storytelling category

(Last updated: 1/8/25)

RATING

The rating period will last for one week after the jam ends and is open to everyone who submitted.

What is the Rating Queue?

The Rating Queue is a special mode on ranked jams to help submissions reach a minimum number of votes in a fair manner. It works by requiring voters to rate from a random set of entries (5). Upon rating one of those entries, it will be swapped out with another random entry from the jam. This will prevent people from being able to directly rate a specific project, encouraging a fair distribution of ratings across all submissions to a jam. Once you rated 10 submissions from the queue, you are then free to rate any submissions freely.

PLEASE DO NOT SELECT A PREFERRED PLATFORM IN THE RATING QUEUE AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RATE ANY SUBMISSIONS.

Your soundtrack will be judged on:

Impression; does it catch your attention or did you get bored?
Creativity; did the submission overall seem new or unique, did the composer(s) try to innovate? etc.
Composition; musical writing, leitmotifs, pacing, cohesion, catchiness, etc.
Quality; mixing/mastering, sound design, are the instruments/sound banks chosen appropriate? etc.
Storytelling; Does it evoke a clear atmosphere, mood, or story? Is there a sense of progression or journey? How strongly does the music make you feel something? Note: This category evaluates the narrative and emotional impact of the music itself — not the written description or story provided alongside it.

Files will be locked during the voting period, but feel free to continue and/or finish the soundtrack to your liking after the jam ends.

After this general rating period, the panel of judges will then be given a week to give feedback and choose their personal favourites from the top 10 submissions. The results of the jam will then be announced after this.

Participants who tries to manipulate the voting system will be disqualified.

PRIZES

There will be a compilation album which will be released to most major streaming platforms for the top submissions as well as for some of my favorites, in which the streaming revenue will be evenly split for each track between us. We will contact you about this after the jam ends. You can check out the previous jam's compilation album here!

Please keep in mind though that previous albums have not made a lot, the main point of the compilation album is more for monumental purposes instead of making money, so don't expect too much from it!

Looking for a partner or want to hang out with us? Feel free to hop into our Discord server! Have fun with this one! :D