How a Minecraft build contest works
Every build contest comes down to the same few choices. Settle them before you announce anything, because players will ask about all of them in the first hour.
- The theme: what players build, in a few words.
- The time: how long building lasts, from half an hour to a month.
- The place: their own plot, a separate contest world or a marked area near spawn.
- The entry: how players tell staff that their build is finished.
- The judging: judges, player votes or a mix of both.
- The prizes: what the winners get and where their builds are shown.
Choose a build contest format
The right format depends on how many players you have and how much time they spend online. A busy creative server can run a long monthly theme, while a small survival world does better with a weekend contest that ends before people lose interest.
| Format | Build time | Works best on | Judged by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly theme | 2 to 4 weeks | Creative and plot servers | Player votes, then judges for the top builds |
| Weekend build | 48 hours | Survival and SMP servers | Two or three judges |
| Speed build | 30 to 60 minutes | Live events with players online | Judges right after the time ends |
| Build battle rounds | A few minutes per round | Minigame servers | Votes from the other players in the round |
| Team contest | 1 to 2 weeks | Communities with towns or factions | Judges, with one score per team |
| Survival contest | 1 week | SMP servers without a creative world | Player votes on a set day |
Build battle rounds are a game mode more than an event. The game modes guide explains how they fit on a network next to other modes.
50 Minecraft build contest themes
A good theme is clear enough that everyone knows what to build and open enough that no two entries look the same. Start with easy themes while players learn how your contests work, and save the tricky ones for when the same builders keep winning.
Easy themes for your first contests
- A house for a giant
Huge doors, chairs and a bed the size of a plot. Easy to start and fun to exaggerate.
- The best starter house
The nicest house players can make with only wood, stone and glass.
- A tree house
A home in or around a tree, with bridges, ladders and platforms.
- A lighthouse
A tower by the water with a light on top and a keeper's cottage below.
- A dream base
The base players would build with endless time and all the blocks they want.
- A village shop
A bakery, a blacksmith or a potion shop with a counter and a sign outside.
- A bridge
Cross a river, a canyon or the gap between two islands in style.
- A garden
Flowers, paths, water and a place to sit, all on one plot.
- A statue of a mob
A giant creeper, a sleeping fox or a proud axolotl.
- A boat
Anything that floats, from a small fishing boat to a pirate ship.
Buildings and places
- A medieval market
Stalls, carts and awnings around a busy square.
- A train station
Platforms, a big clock and a train that is about to leave.
- An underwater base
A home on the sea floor with glass walls and an entrance that stays dry.
- A castle gate
Only the gate: two towers, a drawbridge and a portcullis.
- A mountain village
Houses stacked up a steep slope with stairs and paths between them.
- A library
Shelves up to the ceiling, reading corners and one secret room.
- An airship dock
A tall tower where airships land, with ropes, balloons and cargo.
- A space station
A base in orbit with modules, solar panels and a view of the planet below.
- A lost jungle temple
An old temple taken back by the jungle, with vines and broken pillars.
- A Nether outpost
A safe base on the Nether side of a portal, built to survive ghasts.
Fantasy and story themes
- A dragon's lair
A cave or a mountain peak with a hoard of gold and a very large bed.
- A wizard tower
A crooked tower with a library, a potion room and a view from the top.
- A floating island
An island in the sky with roots, waterfalls and something built on top.
- A fairy village
Tiny homes in mushrooms, flowers and hollow logs.
- A haunted house
Broken windows, cobwebs and a garden nobody has looked after in years.
- A sunken ship
A wreck on the sea floor, half buried in sand, with its treasure still aboard.
- A kingdom in a bottle
A whole city built inside a giant glass bottle.
- An adventurer's home
The house of a retired explorer, full of trophies from old journeys.
- A portal to another world
A portal, and the first few steps of the world it leads to.
- A town on a turtle
A small town built on the shell of a giant sea turtle.
Nature and seasons
- A winter cabin
A cabin in the snow with a warm fire, a sled and a frozen lake.
- Autumn harvest
Fields, pumpkins and a barn full of crops.
- A spring festival
A town square decorated for the first day of spring.
- A beach holiday
A sandy beach with a boardwalk, huts and umbrellas.
- A volcano
Lava flows, ash and a village that really should have moved.
- A secret waterfall
A waterfall with something hidden behind it.
- A desert oasis
Water, palm trees and a place to rest in the middle of the sand.
- A cherry blossom garden
Cherry trees, a quiet pond and a small tea house.
- A biome that does not exist
Invent a new biome with its own trees, colours and ground.
- The four seasons
One build split into spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Challenge themes with a twist
- One block type
Build anything with a single block and its stairs and slabs.
- Tiny build
The whole build has to fit in a 9 by 9 area.
- Upside down
A house, a tree or a whole town that hangs from the sky.
- Survival blocks only
Only blocks that players can get in survival, so no barriers or command blocks.
- Two colours
Pick two colours and use only blocks in those colours.
- Seen from above
A build meant to be seen from the sky, such as a maze or a giant map.
- Thirty minute speed build
The theme is announced at the start, so nobody can plan ahead.
- A scene from a story
Staff share a short story and players build one scene from it.
- A home for a mob
A house designed for its owner, such as an iron golem or a family of foxes.
- Then and now
The same place twice: how it looked long ago and how it looks today.
Build contest rules you can copy
Write the rules down and post them with the theme. Most arguments at the end of a contest are about something nobody said at the start, such as whether a friend was allowed to help.
- Build only on your own plot or in your own spot, and only during the building time.
- One entry per player. Say clearly whether teams are allowed, and how big they can be.
- The build has to fit the theme. Builds that do not fit are not judged.
- No copying builds or schematics from someone else, on this server or anywhere else.
- WorldEdit is allowed or not allowed. Pick one and say which.
- Keep builds suitable for all players. No offensive builds, words or pixel art.
- Do not break, change or grief anyone else's entry.
- Enter before the deadline. Late builds are not judged.
- The judges' decision is final, and the scores are shared after the results.
Link these to your normal server rules instead of repeating them. The example rules in the rules guide cover griefing and suitable content in more detail.
How to judge a build contest fairly
Judging is where contests win or lose players. Give every judge the same sheet, let each one score alone before they compare, and add up the points. A score out of 50 across five criteria is simple enough to explain and detailed enough to separate close builds.
| Criterion | Points | What judges look for |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | 10 | How clearly the build fits the theme at first sight |
| Creativity | 10 | An idea that none of the other entries had |
| Detail | 10 | Depth in walls, roofs and interiors instead of flat surfaces |
| Block choice | 10 | Colours and textures that work well together |
| Overall look | 10 | How good the build looks from far away and up close |
Player votes, judges or both
- Player votes get more people involved, but popular players and big friend groups win more often.
- Judges from staff score detail and theme more fairly, but players do not always agree with the result.
- A mix works well on most servers: judges pick the top five, then players vote for the winner.
Keep the voting fair
- Give each player one vote, and do not let anyone vote for their own build.
- Show entries by number instead of by name where you can.
- Judges skip builds made by their friends or teammates, and another judge scores those instead.
- Share the scores after the results, so players can see why a build won.
Set up the build area
Decide where players build before you announce the theme. The best place depends on the kind of server you run.
- On a creative server with plots, players build on their own plot. PlotSquared gives a player the next free plot with /plot auto, or the plot they stand on with /plot claim.
- For a contest that should stay apart from the main world, create a flat contest world with Multiverse-Core.
- On a survival server, mark out spots near spawn and protect each one with WorldGuard, so only its builder can change it.
- Make a backup before judging starts, so a broken entry can be restored. The guide to Minecraft server backups explains how.
If you allow WorldEdit, say which commands players may use. Commands such as //set and //copy make large shapes quick, which suits a month long theme and is unfair in a speed build.
Build contest prizes and showing the winners
The best prizes show off the win without changing how the game plays. A diamond sword is forgotten in a week, while a winning build at spawn is seen by new players for months.
- A chat title for a month, such as Build Champion.
- A place in the hall of fame on your website and in a Discord channel.
- The winning build copied to spawn, where new players walk past it.
- The right to pick the theme of the next contest.
- A small amount of in game money, kept small enough not to upset your economy.
A cosmetic rank for a month is another popular prize, and the ranks guide explains which kinds of ranks keep things fair. For more on announcing results, see prizes and results in the event ideas guide, and for giving winning builds a home, the section on keeping your spawn fresh.
Keep players entering month after month
- Start each contest on the same day of the month, so players know when to expect a new theme.
- Announce the theme a few days early on Discord. The announcements section of the Discord guide explains how to get people to read it.
- Add a beginner category for players who have never entered a contest before.
- Let last month's winner suggest the next theme.
- Tie some themes to your story, such as rebuilding a ruined city from your server lore.
- Keep a hall of fame with the winners of each contest, so there is a record to aim for.
Build contests on a survival server
A contest works without a creative world too. Give players a week, let them build in their own base, and pick themes that fit survival, such as the best farm, the nicest front door or the most useful storage room. Judge from screenshots or walk past each base with the judges on a set evening. The event ideas guide has more events that suit a survival world.
How to set up the build contest page on your website
The Creative template in the website builder has a Build contest page with a page intro, a countdown, a How to enter steps section and a leaderboard for last month's winners. The countdown and the leaderboard are covered in the event countdown steps; these steps set up the theme and how to enter.
Open the Build contest page
Go to Website in the server panel of Astroworld Hosting or minecrafthosting.cc, open the editor and pick the Build contest page.
Put the theme in the page intro
Click the intro at the top. Keep the Label, write the theme in the Heading and one line about the rules in the Description.
Rewrite How to enter
Click the steps section and change each Title and Text to match your contest: where to build, how to enter and when voting starts.
Add a step for extra rules
Use Add step for anything players must know, such as team size or whether WorldEdit is allowed. The section holds up to six steps.
Choose an icon for each step
Pick an Icon per step, so players can scan the list quickly on a phone.
Publish before the theme starts
Press Publish. Our team checks every change before it goes live, so publish a day before the new theme starts.
Questions about Minecraft build contests
What are good Minecraft build contest themes?
Themes that are clear but leave room for different ideas, such as a house for a giant, an underwater base, a floating island or a dragon's lair. Start with easy themes and move to challenges like a single block type once players are used to your contests.
How long should a Minecraft build contest last?
Two to four weeks suits a monthly theme on a creative or plot server. A week is enough on a survival server, and a speed build lasts 30 to 60 minutes.
How do you judge a Minecraft build contest?
Score every build on the same criteria, such as theme, creativity, detail, block choice and overall look, and let at least two judges score each entry on their own before comparing. Add player votes if you want players involved.
Should a build contest allow WorldEdit?
It depends on the format. Speed builds and survival contests usually ban it, while long monthly themes often allow it. Say which one applies in the rules before anyone starts building.
What prizes work for a Minecraft build contest?
Prizes that show off the win without changing the game: a chat title, a spot in the hall of fame, the winning build at spawn or on your website, or the right to choose the next theme.
How do I stop players voting only for their friends?
Give each player one vote, show entries by number instead of name where you can, and do not allow votes for your own build. Letting judges choose the finalists before players vote also limits the effect.
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