Mechanistry’s current Build-a-Map contest invites new maps for Timberborn in three size categories. Steam players have until November 8, 2026, at 23:59 CET to enter. Each category offers one €750 top prize and three €100 honorable mentions. An appealing landscape alone will not qualify: the map must be playable and work fully in the unmodified game.
The contest follows Update 1.1, which arrived on September 3. Every entry must contain some of that update’s Succulents, but they are a version marker rather than a required desert theme. The map must be new, original, made by its entrant and unpublished anywhere before October 8, 2026. Entry also takes two distinct steps before the deadline: a public Steam Workshop listing and Mechanistry’s submission form.
How to Enter a Map
- Create a new, playable map with Succulents that works fully in unmodified Timberborn.
- Publish it publicly on Steam Workshop by November 8, 2026, at 23:59 CET. Its name must contain the exact marker
[MapContest1]. - Add at least three screenshots, including one of the entire map, and a description explaining its distinctive features.
- Complete the official entry form once for each map by the same deadline.
Publishing to Workshop alone does not complete an entry. Mechanistry’s announcement and FAQ say non-Steam users cannot participate. The terms require entrants to have the right to use the Steam version and set out the remaining eligibility conditions. They also explain the details winners must provide to receive a cash prize.
Size Categories and Prizes
| Category | Map Size | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 128 × 128 and below | One €750 prize, game credits and a Discord rank; three €100 mentions |
| Medium | 129 × 129 through 255 × 255 | One €750 prize, game credits and a Discord rank; three €100 mentions |
| Large | 256 × 256 | One €750 prize, game credits and a Discord rank; three €100 mentions |
For rectangular maps, the FAQ uses total tile count: 16,384 or fewer belongs in Small, while 16,385 through 65,535 belongs in Medium. It gives no additional classification rule there for larger nonsquare maps. The amounts above are the advertised payable awards. Where Polish prize tax applies, the terms provide for an organizer-funded amount that Mechanistry withholds to cover it. Winners remain solely responsible for any other taxes or reporting obligations in their country of tax residence or elsewhere. Payment conditions are set out in the full terms.
Why the Finished Map Must Work Without Mods
You may use mods while creating a map if its finished design could be reproduced with the built-in editor. The submitted map itself must load and work fully in vanilla Timberborn. Mechanistry gives terrain above the editor’s normal height limit as a counterexample: such a map might load, yet prevent players from adding terrain as freely as on a regular map. Check the finished result in the unmodified game, rather than treating a successful load as the whole test.
Workshop entries may be updated before the deadline. You can enter multiple maps with a separate form for each, although one person can win only once. Mechanistry says it will judge originality, playability and appearance, with results due by December 20, 2026. A winning map will not automatically join the base game or be reuploaded by the official Workshop account.
What Update 1.1 Adds to Map Design
Succulents can be placed in the map editor. They grow only on dry ground and die when overwatered; in a settlement, lumberjacks can cut them so their stored water can be harvested. Mechanistry leaves their number to the creator and says a larger number brings no scoring advantage. Place them as a visible part of the map rather than hiding them.
Image: Mechanistry · Source
Update 1.1’s included maps offer two different terrain ideas. Water flow changes with the cycles across the arid Nomads map; Pillars challenges builders with fractured, limited space on an upper level. New watertight structures also give settlements more ways to cross reservoir walls and route power or pumps around water. They are possibilities for a map’s future builders, not required contest buildings.
Sources
Cover Image: Mechanistry · mechanistry.com