Join the June Solstice Game Jam: $1,000 in prizes!

We're excited to kick off the June Solstice Game Jam, running from June 3 through June 21 and ending...

We're excited to kick off the June Solstice Game Jam, running from June 3 through June 21 and ending right on the solstice itself!

Whether you're in the northern hemisphere marking the longest day of the year or in the southern hemisphere observing the shortest, the solstice is a global moment of transition. June is also a profound month for identity, history and community in the U.S. and across the world.

We are celebrating authenticity and LGBTQIA+ history with Pride month, which also happens to be the birth month of Alan Turing – the famous computer scientist behind the “Turing Test” for artificial intelligence who was persecuted for being gay. June also marks Juneteenth, a day to celebrate an important milestone towards the freedom and liberation of Black Americans. It’s a time dedicated to reflection, honoring resilience, and amplifying Black joy.

But June isn't only about deep history! This month brings the electric teamwork and high stakes of the World Cup, bringing the entire planet together in the spirit of play. And if sports aren't your thing, June also serves up delightfully specific celebrations like International Sushi Day and National Flip-Flop Day.

Whether you want to build something deeply meaningful or delightfully goofy, this jam is your canvas. We’ve got some great prizes for five lucky winners.

Let's get to it.

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Our Prompt

The June solstice arrives on June 21 — the longest day of the year for half the world, and the shortest for the other half. Build a game inspired by the solstice or any other June celebration: think Pride, Juneteenth, light and darkness, the passage of time, and anything else that comes to mind.

Our theme is intentionally broad to allow room for your creativity to shine. Please interpret this prompt however you'd like. A platformer where daylight is your resource? A puzzle game that resets at midnight? A narrative about reaching a turning point? Any angle is fair game!

###Additional Prize Categories

• Best Ode to Alan Turing: We're thinking algorithms, code breaking, and artificial intelligence. Honor the father of modern computing in your game's mechanics, narrative, or design.

• Best Google AI Usage: Tell us how you leveraged Google AI for this submission. Did you build with Antigravity, experiment in Google AI Studio, or use the Gemini CLI? Or is there a Google AI product embedded in your build such as the Gemini API or any Google Cloud product such as Cloud Run? Tell us all about your experience!

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Judging Criteria

All submissions will be judged on the following:

• Relevance to Theme: Does the game clearly connect to the June solstice or celebration themes?
• Creativity: Is the concept original or is it an interesting take on a familiar idea?
• Technical Execution: Is the game functional, well-built, and playable?
• Writing Quality: Is the submission post clearly written and engaging?
• Use of Prize Category (optional): If pursuing a prize category, does the submission meaningfully engage with it?

Prizes

We’ll select three winners for the overall prompt, and one winner for each additional prize category. Our five total winners will each receive:

• $200 USD
• DEV++ Membership
• Exclusive DEV Badge

All participants with a valid submission will receive a completion badge.

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How To Participate

Build a game and publish a post on DEV using the submission template below. Your post should include a demo video of your game and provide an overview of how you built it.

{% cta https://dev.to/new?prefill=---%0Atitle%3A%20%0Apublished%3A%20%0Atags%3A%20devchallenge%2C%20gamechallenge%2C%20gamedev%0A---%0A%0A*This%20is%20a%20submission%20for%20the%20%5BJune%20Solstice%20Game%20Jam%5D(https%3A%2F%2Fdev.to%2Fchallenges%2Fjune-game-jam-2026-06-03)*%0A%0A%23%23%20What%20I%20Built%0A%3C!--%20Tell%20us%20about%20your%20game!%20What%20does%20it%20do%20and%20what%20was%20your%20intended%20goal%3F%20How%20does%20it%20relate%20to%20the%20challenge%20theme%3F%20--%3E%0A%0A%23%23%20Video%20Demo%0A%3C!--%20Share%20a%20video%20demo%20of%20your%20game%20in%20action.%20Embed%20here%20or%20add%20as%20a%20cover%20video.%20We%20strongly%20encourage%20you%20to%20include%20a%20voiceover%20describing%20your%20game%20and%20showing%20off%20additional%20context%20you%27d%20like%20the%20judge%20to%20know%20about.%20--%3E%0A%0A%23%23%20Code%0A%3C!--%20Show%20us%20the%20code!%20You%20can%20embed%20a%20GitHub%20repo%20directly%20into%20your%20post.%20--%3E%0A%0A%23%23%20How%20I%20Built%20It%0A%3C!--%20Walk%20us%20through%20your%20technical%20approach%20and%20any%20interesting%20decisions%20you%20made%20along%20the%20way.%20--%3E%0A%0A%23%23%20Prize%20Category%0A%3C!--%20Are%20you%20submitting%20to%20any%20prize%20categories%3F%20Note%20and%20explain%20how%20each%20category%20applies%20(Best%20Google%20AI%20Usage%2C%20Best%20Ode%20to%20Alan%20Turing).%20If%20not%2C%20you%20can%20remove%20this%20section.%20--%3E%0A%0A%3C!--%20Team%20Submissions%3A%20Please%20pick%20one%20member%20to%20publish%20the%20submission%20and%20credit%20teammates%20by%20listing%20their%20DEV%20usernames%20directly%20in%20the%20body%20of%20the%20post.%20--%3E%0A%0A%3C!--%20Thanks%20for%20participating!%20--%3E %} June Solstice Game Jam Submission Template {% endcta %}

Please review our judging criteria, rules, guidelines, and FAQ page before submitting so you understand our participation guidelines and official contest rules such as eligibility requirements.

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Important Dates

• June 3: June Solstice Game Jam begins!
• June 21: Submissions due at 11:59 PM PDT
• <mark>July 9: Winners Announced</mark>

Questions about the challenge? Drop them in the comments below.

Good luck and happy building!