Hey ShareShift,
The judging process in this jam is intensive for the judges, they put a lot of hard work into reviewing each submitted game. So to be fair to the people who do put time and effort into their jam entry, we disqualify games that have little to no substance. A good example of this is https://itch.io/jam/awful-summer-jam-2018/rate/278360. While that game is on theme and good for a laugh, there isn't a lot there to talk about. So it's disqualified from judging.
We don't determine "minimal effort" based on skill, engine used, or if a splash screen is present, it just has to have some personality and care put into it.
Thanks for the question!
-- Awful Jams Staff