Hytale Modding Contest

As part of CurseForge’s support of Hytale and the modding community, CurseForge is running this contest, inviting you to create Mods on the CurseForge platform for Hytale with $100K in prizes for 65 winners provided by Hypixel Studios!

Below is a brief overview of the qualifications for entering and participating in the contest. Afterward, you will find the full and official rules governing the contest. Please take the time to read the official rules carefully.

TIMETABLE:

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

• World Gen V2 - Create generated worlds using World Gen V2 with the visual node editor. It's artist-friendly and requires no programming; just follow the documentation and guides to get started! Design a biome, region, or zone with a strong theme and a unique feel to explore, with clear landmarks, routes, and points of interest. Aim for a sense of wonder from the ground: surprises, scenic moments, and memorable places players stumble across while exploring.
  • Category Guidelines:
    • Theme is up to you: your creation can fit the world of Hytale or be something entirely new. Cozy, eerie, harsh, surreal, modern, or anything in between is welcome, as long as it feels cohesive.
    • Submit a single biome, a collection of connected biomes (region), or a full zone.
    • Keep it playable: terrain that's fun to move through, and underground areas players can navigate (if any).
    • Players' perspective matters: make it look good up close, not just from a bird's-eye view! Details matter!
    • Use the provided assets or create your own for blocks and NPCs. Prefabs are encouraged!
    • Performance matters: optimize your world-gen so chunks load reasonably fast.
    • Include a short gameplay video showing exploration / cinematic view.
• NPCs - Bring life to Hytale! Create or update current NPCs to make the world feel alive, whether that's critters that feel like they belong, enemies that actually fight back, or boss fights players will remember. This category submissions should comprise data-driven NPCs that stretch the game’s asset configuration structures to their limits, though code extensions are allowed for functionality not supported.
  • Category Guidelines:
    • Use the NPC system via assets as the foundation. Use Java only to extend what the data-driven system can't do, not to replace it.
    • Boss fights and complex combat should use the Combat Action Evaluator for the smoothest results.
    • Stick to walking and flying motion controllers for best reliability. Walking-to-swimming transitions are not fully supported yet.
    • We encourage adjacent systems, such as taming, faction behaviors, and NPC communication, to use messages and beacons.
    • Focus on clarity and feel: readable tells, fair hitboxes, clean pacing, and minimal jank.
    • Include a short showcase video of behaviors and/or combat in action.
• Experiences - Create a playable experience, such as an adventure map, hard modes, minigames, or deep gameplay systems (e.g., skill trees, progression mechanics, crafting reworks) that change how the game feels to play. PvP and multiplayer are welcome! This is the broadest category - surprise us with something players will want to come back to. A new Hytale experience.
  • Category Guidelines:
    • Make it immediately playable: clear goals, basic onboarding, etc.
    • Polish matters: put effort into your UI, sound, and visual feedback.
    • Custom content integration is a plus: entries that pull together custom NPCs, worldgen, and gameplay systems will stand out.
    • Show the experience in a short gameplay video, ideally with other players if it is multiplayer.
    • Include simple instructions so someone can play without guesswork.

WINNERS AND PRIZES:

The contest consists of Grand Prizes, Mid Contest Drops, and Community Favorites. All prizes and rewards are based on skill. We or the community (all depending on the type of reward) will judge and select the winning projects.

This contest includes the following prizes:

• Grand Prize Winners:
• 10 winners in each category (30 total winners)
  • Winner composition:
    • 1st place: $10,000
    • 2nd place: $7,500
    • 3rd place: $2,500
    • 4-10 places: $1,000
• Mid Contest Prizes: To keep the contest going and reward as many authors as possible, CurseForge will hold three Mid Contest Drops, awarding 10 creators who have made valid submissions to the contest with $300 each, totaling 30 additional winners.

Community Favorites: Hytale players are also invited to participate in the event by casting their votes for their favorite projects! Once our finalists are announced, the community will vote on their favorite from all categories. The Community Favorites winners will be awarded $2,000 per winner (5 total winners). To cast your vote, use the voting form, which will be published alongside the finalists' announcement.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

1. Sign up as a CurseForge Mod Author: https://authors.curseforge.com/welcome/
2. Publish your project on CurseForge, and make sure it complies with the contest requirements (See “Submission Requirements” below for more information).
3. Fill out the submission form:
4. Modders may publish and submit as many projects as they’d like.

JUDGING:

• Judges’ Picks (Grand Prize Winners): A panel of judges, consisting of judges from the modding community and CurseForge, would select the projects they rated the most among the submissions.
• Community Picks (Community Favorites Winners): Chosen by the most voted projects via a dedicated form.

The Panel of Judges will select the winners and winning creations based on 30% Originality, which will evaluate how creative, new, and unique the project is; 30% "Fun Factor," which will evaluate whether the project is fun to play with; 30% visual aesthetic aspect, which will evaluate whether the project is "eye-catching"; and 10% Downloads, which will determine the number of downloads the project has accumulated so far. Authors cannot win more than once per judging category.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

• You need to have a CurseForge Author Account and accept the terms and conditions.
• You will need to review, approve, and comply with the Official Contest Rules attached below.
• All submitted creations must adhere to CurseForge Moderation Policies and Hytale’s Specific Moderation Policies. This includes restrictions on the use of protected intellectual property, prohibitions on nudity, etc.
• All submissions must contain a GitHub link or a shared private repo for judging purposes (code visibility is required), with the exception of packs.
• Submissions must include a short gameplay video (see category guidelines above). Experiences submissions should also include instructions for testing.
• Don’t publish duplicated projects, and don’t publish other people’s work as your own.
  Prioritize publishing creations that add value to the player community.
• Using AI-generated assets, artwork, or project avatars is forbidden.
• Note that all projects submitted to CurseForge undergo a moderation process, which could lead to a delay of a few days from submission to publication.
• When publishing your creations, ensure they are accurately categorized.
• Failure to meet any of the requirements set forth below in the official rules may lead to disqualification of your submission or revocation of any winnings.

Hytale Modding Contest OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

This is a skill-based contest intended to encourage creativity in Hytale mod development and technical excellence. No purchase is necessary to enter or win, nor will it improve your chance of winning. Void where prohibited by law. By participating, you agree to these Official Rules and all relevant platform and game policies referenced herein.

Participation in the Hytale Modding contest (“Contest”) constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these Official Contest Rules (“Official Rules”). This Contest is sponsored and administered by Overwolf Ltd., the operator of CurseForge. This Contest is sponsored and operated by Overwolf Ltd., the operator of CurseForge (the “Operator”), in collaboration with Hypixel Studios. All information and entries are provided to the Operator solely.

Eligibility.

• Age: Open to individuals who are at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, if higher) at the time of entry.
• Account: Entrants must have a valid CurseForge account in good standing.
• Affiliation: Employees, officers, and directors of Overwolf (the contest host) or its affiliates, and their immediate family or household members, are not eligible to participate.
• Location: The contest is open worldwide, except in any regions or countries where such contests are prohibited or restricted by law (void where prohibited).
• Compliance: All entrants must abide by the CurseForge Mod Author Terms and Conditions, the CurseForge Moderation Guidelines, as well as Hypixel Studios’ Hytale usage guidelines, end user license agreement, and any applicable modding or content policies. Entries that violate these terms or guidelines will be disqualified.

Promotion Period.

The contest begins on March 3rd, 2026, and ends on April 28, 2026 (the "Promotion Period"). All entries must be submitted within this period. Precise start and end times (including time zone deadlines) will be indicated on the contest announcement page. Late submissions will not be accepted.

How to Enter.

• Create Your Project: Develop a Hytale mod or content project. Entries must fall within one of the eligible Hytale contest categories as described below. Projects must be created after the Hytale early access release. Originality, technical quality, and creativity are encouraged.
• Upload to CurseForge: Submit your project on the CurseForge platform and ensure that at least one category slot is free and available for assignment to the Contest category by CurseForge, as specified in the Contest announcement. Make sure your project complies with all CurseForge submission requirements and applicable Hytale usage, modding, and content guidelines.
• Code Access for Judging: For judging purposes, entrants must provide a GitHub repository link or grant access to a private code repository containing the project source code, except where the entry is solely an asset or content pack for which source code is not applicable. Failure to provide required code access may result in disqualification.
• Complete Entry Form: Fill out the official contest entry form (available via CurseForge or the contest website). You will need to provide your CurseForge project link and contact information (such as your email). This step is required to confirm your entry.

Entrants may submit multiple projects if they wish to showcase more than one entry. However, each individual participant is only eligible to win one prize per prize category (see Prizes section), regardless of the number of entries submitted, and may receive only one (1) mid-contest reward during the Contest.

Categories.

Entries must be submitted for Hytale and will be grouped into the following contest categories. Each category is judged separately.

• Worldgen V2 - Create generated worlds using World Gen V2 with the visual node editor. Design a biome, region, or zone with a strong theme and a unique feel to explore, with clear landmarks, routes, and points of interest. Aim for a sense of wonder from the ground: surprises, scenic moments, and memorable places players stumble across while exploring.
• NPCs - Bring life to Hytale! Create or update current NPCs to make the world feel alive, whether that's critters that feel like they belong, enemies that actually fight back, or boss fights players will remember. This category should showcase NPCs that push the game’s asset configuration to its limits.
• Experiences - Create a playable experience, such as an adventure map, hard modes, minigames, or deep gameplay systems (e.g., skill trees, progression mechanics, crafting reworks) that change how the game feels to play. PvP and multiplayer are welcome!

Each entry must be submitted in the category that best reflects its primary functionality, as determined by the entrant. The Sponsor reserves the right to reclassify entries if submitted under an incorrect category.

Following the judging phase, a separate Community Favorite selection will be conducted from among eligible finalist entries, as described in the Judging and Community Vote section.

Judging and Community Vote.

A total of sixty-five (65) prizes with an aggregate value of $100,000 USD will be awarded in connection with the Contest, as follows.

Judged Category Prizes

Thirty (30) prizes will be awarded across the three judged categories: Worldgen V2, NPCs, and Experiences.

For each category, up to ten (10) winners will be selected and ranked by the judging panel. Prizes per category will be awarded as follows:

• 1st Place: $10,000 USD
• 2nd Place: $7,500 USD
• 3rd Place: $2,500 USD
• 4th–10th Place: $1,000 USD each

Judged prizes are awarded based solely on the judges’ evaluation, as described in Section 4 (Judging and Community Vote).

Community Favorite Prizes

Five (5) Community Favorite prizes will be awarded following the conclusion of judging.

• Five (5) winners, selected through a community voting process conducted via a designated form or voting mechanism.
• Each Community Favorite winner will receive $2,000 USD.

Community Favorite prizes are determined independently of the judges’ rankings and do not affect the outcome of the judged category prizes.

Mid-Contest Rewards

During the Contest, mid-contest rewards will be awarded to recognize and encourage ongoing participation.

• Mid-contest rewards will be awarded every two weeks during the submission period (Weeks 2, 4, and 6).
• At each reward interval, ten (10) authors with valid, approved Contest entries will be selected.
• Each selected author will receive $300 USD.
• A total of thirty (30) mid-contest rewards will be awarded.

Mid-contest rewards are awarded to authors, not projects, and selection will be conducted by random draw from eligible authors with approved entries at the time of each reward interval.

Prize Limits

Unless expressly stated otherwise, an individual participant may receive only one (1) judged category prize and only one (1) Community Favorite prize.

Receipt of a mid-contest reward does not disqualify a participant from receiving a judged or Community Favorite prize. Overwolf reserves the right to reassign prizes if a selected winner is found to be ineligible or non-compliant with these Official Rules.

Prize Delivery and Taxes

All prize values are in U.S. dollars. Prizes will be delivered via a payment method determined by Overwolf (for example, electronic funds transfer or gift card). Winners are responsible for any taxes or fees associated with receiving a prize. No substitution or transfer of prizes is permitted except at Overwolf’s discretion.

Winner Notification and Verification.

Potential winners will be notified by Overwolf using the contact information provided in the Contest entry form or associated with the participant’s CurseForge account.

Judged category winners and Community Favorite winners will be notified following the official winner announcement. Mid-contest reward recipients will be notified at or shortly after each applicable reward interval.

It is the responsibility of each participant to ensure that their contact information is accurate and up to date. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to respond within the timeframe specified by Overwolf, or is determined to be ineligible or non-compliant with these Official Rules, the prize may be forfeited and, where applicable, awarded to an alternate eligible participant.

As a condition of receiving a prize, winners may be required to verify eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules, provide information necessary for prize fulfillment, including tax or payment-related documentation, and execute any required declarations or confirmations, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Failure to complete any required verification steps within the timeframe specified by Overwolf may result in disqualification and forfeiture of the prize. All determinations regarding winner selection, eligibility verification, and prize forfeiture are final and binding.

Rights in Submission.

Each entrant retains full ownership of their submitted project and any underlying intellectual property. Participation in the Contest does not transfer ownership of any rights in the submitted project to Overwolf or Hypixel Studios.

By submitting an entry, each entrant grants Overwolf and CurseForge a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, use, display, reproduce, distribute, and publicly showcase the submission, in whole or in part, solely for purposes related to the operation, administration, judging, and promotion of the Contest and the CurseForge platform. This includes, without limitation, featuring submissions on CurseForge, contest landing pages, blogs, social media channels, promotional materials, winner announcements, and similar communications.

This license does not restrict the entrant’s ability to continue developing, distributing, or monetizing their project outside of the Contest, subject to compliance with applicable CurseForge terms and Hytale policies.

Entrants represent and warrant that their submissions are original, that they have all rights necessary to submit the project and grant the license described in this section, and that the submission does not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property or other rights of any third party.

For judging purposes, entrants may be required to provide access to source code through a GitHub repository or a shared private repository. Any such access is granted solely for evaluation and verification purposes in connection with the Contest and does not alter ownership of the code or grant any broader rights beyond those expressly stated in these Official Rules.

AI Usage - Reserved

The use of artificial intelligence to generate or create visual assets, artwork, logos, project icons, or other graphical elements for a Contest entry is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification.

Entrants remain fully responsible for their submissions and for compliance with these Official Rules, CurseForge policies, and applicable Hytale guidelines, regardless of any permitted AI use. Failure to disclose permitted AI usage, or any misrepresentation regarding the nature or extent of AI involvement, may result in disqualification.

Overwolf reserves the right to request clarification regarding any disclosed AI usage and to take appropriate action where AI use is found to violate these Official Rules or undermine the integrity of the Contest.

Publicity.

By accepting a prize, each winner grants Overwolf and CurseForge the right to use the winner’s name, online handle or username, likeness (including avatar or profile image), and the title and description of the submitted project for promotional and publicity purposes related to the Contest and the CurseForge platform, worldwide, without additional compensation, notice, or approval, except where prohibited by applicable law. Such promotional use may include, without limitation, publication on CurseForge websites, contest landing pages, blogs, social media channels, marketing materials, press releases, and similar communications. Publicity rights granted under this section are limited to uses reasonably related to the Contest, its results, or the promotion of CurseForge and do not permit use in unrelated advertising or endorsements. All use of personal data will be handled in accordance with Overwolf’s Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

Disqualifications.

Overwolf reserves the right to disqualify any participant or entry at any time if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the participant or entry does not comply with these Official Rules or applicable platform or game policies.

Without limiting the foregoing, grounds for disqualification include submitting content that violates CurseForge policies or applicable Hytale usage, modding, or content guidelines; submitting content that infringes or misappropriates the intellectual property or other rights of any third party; providing false or misleading information in connection with the Contest; or engaging in any conduct that undermines the integrity, fairness, or intended operation of the Contest.

Any attempt to manipulate judging, community voting, engagement metrics, downloads, or other Contest processes, including through fraudulent activity, coordinated behavior, multiple accounts, or automated means, may result in immediate disqualification.

Participants are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner throughout the Contest. Harassment, abuse, or disruptive behavior directed at other participants, judges, community members, or organizers may result in disqualification.

If a disqualification is discovered after a prize has been awarded, Overwolf reserves the right to revoke the prize and, where applicable, award it to an alternate eligible participant. All decisions regarding disqualification and enforcement of these Official Rules are final and binding.

Governing Law.

This Contest, and any disputes arising from it, will be governed and resolved in accordance with the CurseForge Mod Author Terms and Conditions, including their provisions on governing law and jurisdiction.

Privacy Policy.

Any personal information collected through participation in the contest will be processed in accordance with Overwolf’s Privacy Policy .

Contact Information.

For any questions regarding the Contest, please contact us at curseforge@overwolf.com or through the CurseForge Discord server.