Hytale New Worlds Contest: $100,000 in Prizes for Modders
CurseForge and Hypixel Studios launch the New Worlds Contest with $100K in prizes across WorldGen, NPCs, and Experiences categories. Submissions open now through April 28.
Hypixel Studios and CurseForge have just launched the New Worlds Contest—a $100,000 modding competition that challenges creators to push Hytale's toolset to its limits. With 65 winners across three categories, mid-contest reward drops, and a community voting round, this is the biggest modding event in Hytale's history so far.
Submissions are open now and run through April 28, 2026.
The Three Categories
The contest is split into three equally weighted categories, each with a $27,000 prize pool.
WorldGen V2 — Build New Worlds
This category is all about Hytale's visual node-based world generation tools. Creators are tasked with building generated worlds—not hand-crafted maps—using the WorldGen V2 system.
What judges are looking for:
- A single biome, region, or zone with a strong, cohesive theme
- Playable traversal (players should be able to explore it)
- Quality details and environmental storytelling
- A gameplay video showcasing the world
If you've been experimenting with Hytale's node editors and want to show what procedural generation can really do, this is your category.
NPCs — Create Memorable Characters
The NPC category challenges modders to create or enhance non-player characters with memorable behaviors and personalities. Submissions should use Hytale's asset-driven NPC system, with Java only for extensions where necessary.
Requirements:
- NPCs with interesting, well-designed behavior
- Use of the asset-driven system as the primary approach
- A showcase video demonstrating the NPCs in action
Whether it's a quirky merchant with dynamic dialogue, hostile mobs with unique AI patterns, or friendly villagers with daily routines—this is your chance to bring characters to life.
Experiences — Build Something Playable
The broadest category. Experiences covers adventure maps, minigames, gameplay systems, or entirely new game modes built within Hytale.
What stands out:
- Immediate playability—judges want to jump in and have fun
- Polish and attention to detail
- Creative use of custom content and Hytale's modding tools
- Something that feels like a complete, cohesive experience
This is the category for server operators and map builders who want to showcase what Hytale can do as a platform.
Prize Breakdown
Each of the three main categories awards prizes to the top 10 entries:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $10,000 |
| 2nd | $7,500 |
| 3rd | $2,500 |
| 4th–10th | $1,000 each |
On top of that, there are two additional prize pools:
- Community Favorites — 5 winners selected by player voting, each receiving $2,000
- Mid-Contest Drops — 30 winners across three separate drops during the contest period, each receiving $300
That's 65 total winners and plenty of opportunities to walk away with something.
Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 3 | Submissions open |
| April 28 | Submission deadline |
| May 5 | Finalists announced, community voting begins |
| May 12 | Winners announced |
How to Enter
- Create a CurseForge Mod Author account if you don't already have one
- Upload your mod project to the CurseForge platform
- Complete the official submission form on the contest page
- You can submit multiple projects across different categories
Rules Worth Knowing
A few important rules to keep in mind:
- Projects must be created after Hytale Early Access launch — you can't submit pre-existing work
- AI-generated visual assets are prohibited — all art and visual content must be human-made
- Each participant can win one judged prize maximum plus one mid-contest reward — no sweeping multiple categories
- Teams are allowed — prize-sharing is decided by the project owner
- Open worldwide to anyone with a valid CurseForge account
What This Means for the Hytale Community
This contest signals something important: Hytale's modding ecosystem is being taken seriously. A $100K prize pool backed by both Hypixel Studios and CurseForge shows genuine investment in the creator community. For server operators, the mods and experiences that come out of this contest could become the kind of content that drives players to your servers.
If you're a modder, this is the time to build. If you're a server owner, keep an eye on what comes out of this—the winning entries could shape the next wave of Hytale server content.
Check out the full contest details on the official New Worlds Contest page.
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