The jam is currently US-only, especially for legal and tax reasons. However, there may be a relatively low-risk way to expand participation internationally without significantly increasing complexity.
From a tax perspective, international payouts are already standard for US companies:
- Non-US winners can submit a W-8BEN form, which in many cases reduces US withholding tax to 0% under tax treaties (including most EU countries).
- Prize taxes are then handled locally by the recipient in their country, not by the organizer.
- Cash prizes are generally not subject to VAT in the EU, since they are not payments for goods/services.
In addition, you own 2020 jam's rules already state that “all federal, state, and local taxes… are the responsibility of the winner”.
That change would significantly expand your pool of high-quality submissions, and make the jam open for everyone.