He already said he would decline the prizes, though to be honest: garnering attention for your game is an indelible part of gamedev.
I’ve asked people to share their games, to tweet about it, there’s a hashtag system built into itch.io game jams. It’s not against the rules to tweet about your games: it’s actively encouraged.
I would encourage you to invest your attention elsewhere, rather than explaining the point of my own jam to me. Because you won’t win me over by calling it absurd. Organize your own jam where you prohibit promoting your game. You can run it as you like and have a system you are proud of.