Mapcore launch $15,000 mapping contest

The previous iteration of the contest led to the creation of Anubis and its eventual addition to the Active Duty pool.

Mapcore, a game development community and forum, has announced a "Big Adventures" mapping contest for Counter-Strike 2 that boasts a $15,000 prize pool. The contest, done in partnership with FACEIT, tasks community mapmakers to design an original 5vs5 bomb defusal or hostage-rescue map.

Mapcore previously hosted a $15,000 "Exotic Places" contest in 2019 that challenged mapmakers with the same task. Anubis was selected as the winner after the year-long contest concluded and was later purchased from the creators by Valve, joining the Active Duty map pool in November 2022.

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The "Big Adventures" contest will also run for a full year, crowning its champion on May 5, 2025. However, this contest has been split into three stages, with the "Open Stage" of submissions closing on August 4, 2024. As such, all those wishing to participate in the contest must have maps submitted by that date, from which winners will be selected to advance to stage two, the "Refinement Stage."

Each map submitted in the first stage will be "given the chance of one, one-week slot on the [Mapcore] FACEIT hubs, secured on a first-come, first-served basis." These maps will be judged on their "Fun Factor (Map Design)" and "Originality," worth 50 points apiece.

The panel of judges is headed up by one of the designers of Cache, Shawn "FMPONE" Snelling, two additional Mapcore judges, and includes a spread of guest experts. Anders "⁠Anders⁠" Blume, Mohan "⁠launders⁠" Govindasamy, James "⁠BARDOLPH⁠" Bardolph, and Daniel "⁠ddk⁠" Kapadia return after judging the previous contest, while Alex "⁠Mauisnake⁠" Ellenberg, Conner "⁠Scrawny⁠" Girvan, and Erik "⁠fl0m⁠" Flom complete the list.

The creators whose maps advance to the Refinement Stage will have six months to iterate, enhance, and add texture to their initial submission, with the stage concluding on February 9, 2025. Maps are again judged on Design (25) and Originality (25), with this round including points for "Visual Presentation" (25) and "Overall Polish" (25).

Ten finalists from stage two advance to "The Grand Finale," which runs for eight weeks as mapmakers incorporate final feedback and refine their creations. The final iterations of maps must be submitted by April 20, 2025, and the same criteria from stage two will be used to determine the top four maps and grand prize winner, announced on May 5. These maps will also be "showcased in exclusive Mapcore FACEIT tournaments."

Winners will receive merchandise from Valve in addition to the following prize distribution:

1. $7,500
2. $4,500
3. $2,000
4. $1,000

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In the contest rules, Mapcore clarifies that "remakes can NOT be entered," but adds that "maps that were under creation prior to the announcement of this Contest can be entered, except for any map which was released for public download on the Steam Workshop."