Unlikely Collaborators posts 2026 winners

Unlikely Collaborators on April 27 announced the winners of its 2026 game jam, a U.S.-only contest built around games about awe, wonder and identity. (prnewswire.com) The organization ran the jam with the International Game Developers Association, the IGDA Foundation and the Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund. The jam opened March 21 and closed April 7. (prnewswire.com) (itch.io) Participants were asked to “make awe playable” through games about “consciousness and identity through awe and wonder.” Unlikely Collaborators advertised a $10,000 prize pool for the event. (unlikelycollaborators.com) Haiku Hike took first place and a $5,000 prize split among its creators. The game follows Ari, who hikes Mount Awareness, clears “brain fog” through puzzles and writes haiku on the mountain. (prnewswire.com) Time’s Tokens finished second and Field Study placed third. Unlikely Collaborators also named When We Found Us… fourth, The Shape of Infinity fifth and Solace sixth, with each runner-up slot carrying a $1,000 prize. (prnewswire.com) (itch.io) The jam page shows 36 entries and says teams had to submit PC-based projects. Teams could include as many as six members, and entrants had to be U.S. residents age 18 or older, excluding Arizona residents. (itch.io) Judging weighted gameplay, theme and graphics at 10 points each, with audio and reviewer discretion worth five points apiece. Unlikely Collaborators said a panel of 40 industry experts reviewed the games. (itch.io) (prnewswire.com) The event is the group’s second annual game jam and ties into its “Perception Box” framework, which Unlikely Collaborators describes as the mental lens that shapes how people experience reality. (prnewswire.com) (unlikelycollaborators.com) This year’s brief asked developers to turn that idea into interactive form in less than three weeks. By April 27, the winners were posted and prizes were awarded. (itch.io) (prnewswire.com)