Plugin Jam
A celebration of plugin building. Build any plugin your way, then share it with the world. Online and open to everyone, from first plugin to seasoned pro.
Dates: 17 November 2026 – 12 February 2027
Where: Online, worldwide
Who: Solo or teams of up to 4
In association with Freqlab. Your new home for making and discovering audio plugins. A community marketplace for audio plugins you won't find elsewhere, and a creator platform that takes a plugin from first idea to first sale.
1. Register
Free to enter, solo or in a team of up to 4. Registering gets you your Discord invite and all the Jam updates.
2. Find your team
Got your invite? Join over 11,800 plugin creators on Discord to find teammates, ask questions and follow the Jam.
A celebration of plugin building
Built your way, then shared with the world.
Solo or teams of up to 4
Open to every creator, from first plugin to seasoned pro.
Any type of plugin
Effects, instruments, tools. Any framework, any language.
November to February
Online and open worldwide. Building opens on 17 November, with the live finale on 12 February.
Register. Team up. Build. Submit.
Register
Sign up for free. We’ll email your Discord invite and keep you posted throughout the Jam.
Team up
Find teammates in the Plugin Jam channels on Discord, or go solo. Teams of up to 4, and everyone registers.
Build
Make a working plugin during the Jam, with workshops and talks along the way. Sponsor tools are optional.
Submit
Upload your plugin to the Jam page on Freqlab, with a link to your demo video (3 minutes or less) and your open-source code on GitHub. We’ll email you the details.
Used the Headline Partner’s tools? Tick a box when you submit to enter their Tool Prize.
From kickoff to finale
17 Nov
Kickoff
The announcement goes out and building opens on 17 November.
Nov – Jan
Build-up
Livestream talks and workshops run on Tuesdays through December and January, then submissions close on 31 January.
12 Feb
Finale
A week of community voting, a week of judging for the top 10, then the live finale on 12 February, where the winners are announced. [Stream time to confirm]
After
Spotlight
Features and highlights across TAP’s channels.
What you can win
Prize details are announced with our sponsors.
Grand Prize
Chosen by the judges.
[Prize and sponsor – announced soon]
Tool Prize
For plugins built with the Headline Partner’s tools.
[Prize and sponsor – announced soon]
Community Favourite
Picked by the community after a week of testing.
[Prize – announced soon]
“Winning NAP kickstarted my career. It gave me visibility, which gets you further than formal qualifications.”
Valentin Ackva
Winner, Neural Audio Plugin Competition 2023 (now Baby Audio / Tanh-Lab)
Find your team on Discord
Over 11,800 plugin creators are already in our Discord. Register for the Jam and we’ll email your invite, then use the Plugin Jam channels to find teammates, ask questions, share progress and catch every announcement.
Looking for a team? Post in [#jam-teams]. Questions about the rules or tools? Ask in [#jam-help]. Show what you’re building in [#jam-showcase].
The Jam follows the Berlin Code of Conduct, in Discord and everywhere else.
FAQs
Everything you need to know before you start building.
Who can take part?
Anyone aged 18 or over, anywhere, from first plugin to seasoned pro. Enter solo or as a team of up to 4. TAP, Freqlab and sponsor staff, and judges, can’t enter.
What can I build?
Any type of plugin: effects, instruments or tools, in VST3, AU or CLAP for Mac and/or Windows. Use any framework and any language. New projects are preferred.
Do I have to use sponsor tools?
No, sponsor tools are optional. If you use the Headline Partner’s tools, tick the box when you submit to enter their Tool Prize.
What do I need to submit, and where?
A working plugin (VST3, AU or CLAP, for Mac and/or Windows), a link to a demo video of 3 minutes or less on YouTube or Vimeo, and a link to your open-source code on GitHub, all submitted on the Jam page on Freqlab.
When do submissions close?
Submissions close on 31 January 2027. Then there’s a week of community voting, a week of judging for the top 10, and the live finale on 12 February.
Does it cost anything to enter?
No. Plugin Jam is free to enter.
Who owns my plugin?
You do. Your source code goes in a public GitHub repository under an open-source licence of your choice. After the Jam you can close the source if you want to sell your plugin. By entering, you give TAP, Freqlab and sponsors permission to feature your plugin when promoting the Jam. Full rules: theaudioprogrammer.com/events/plugin-jam-rules
How is it judged?
For a week after submissions close, anyone with a Freqlab account can rate the plugins they’ve downloaded. The top 10 then go to our judges for a week, and the winners are announced at the live finale on 12 February.
Sponsors
Become a sponsor
Put your tools in front of a global community of plugin creators, before, during and long after the Jam.