The SimPvP Map Art Competition is an annual server-operated event in which players create Map Arts and submit them to be voted on in a competition, with the map art that gains the most votes being the winner. The map art submission period typical lasts around a month, while the voting period takes place in the events world at a polling station, lasting for a few hours of the following day. Prizes for the winner may vary depending on the competition, but typically, a winner will have their map art on permanent display at spawn, and receive miscellaneous goods from a donation box, also at spawn.

Rules and Logistics

Anyone can submit a map art during the month-long submission period of the competition, but it must satisfy the following requirements to be eligible:

The map art must be 1x1 (128x128 blocks)
The map art must not already appear on the SimPvP Map Art wiki page prior to the competition
The map art must remain anonymous throughout the duration of the competition and voting process
The map art must be given a title by the creator
Rendered maps of the world seed (i.e. spawn, bases, terrain) do not count as map art

As long as these basic rules are followed, there is no limit or regulation on what map arts can be entered. Past examples of submissions have included landscapes, memes, scenes from movies, SimPvP history, animals, and graphic designs. If you are having trouble making a map art, consider consulting with Burger's Guide to Making Map Art.

When voting for a map art, this is the general process to be taken:

A fee of one diamond block is required to vote
Upon paying the fee, you will type /event and enter the SimPvP Map Art Competition Polling Station
You will be given tickets (pieces of paper) with your username on them, one ticket for each submitted map art
You may vote for as many map arts as you wish, as long as you only enter one ticket per one map art; duplicate votes will be removed and nullified
After you are finished voting, type /quitevent to exit the polling station

The one diamond block voting fees are collected and eventually given to the winner of the competition as one of the many prizes. While prizes may vary depending on the competition, the winner will typically have their map art on permanent display at spawn for all to see. There may also be a donation box for players to drop items of any value into; these donations will also be provided to the winner.

As long as all the above requirements and regulations are met, any player can participate in the competition / voting process.

Conceptual History

In early March 2021, the very first idea of a map art competition was suggested by schfv (gonmoose), as map arts had seen a sudden surge in popularity over the last few months. The basic theory behind the competition was that, if players were given an incentive to participate and compete against one another, more quality map arts would be produced. Ostrich1414, an avid map art collector and creator, liked this idea and decided to host one himself, drafting the plans for the very first competition the following day.

On March 5th, 2021, the very first SimPvP Map Art Competition was announced, hosted by ostrich1414 as an official server event. At the time, plans to name the winner of the competition were still being discussed: ostrich1414 had originally favored a system that used a few neutral, unaffiliated players to judge the map art entries, while Yukarion preferred an approval voting system that required a fee of one diamond block. Eventually, the approval voting system was chosen as the method of calculating the winner of the competition.

Rather than having a basic online vote, ostrich1414 felt that an in-game polling station in the events world would be a much more fun, engaging, and memorable experience for participants. He eventually recruited iLxgend to construct a polling station for the competition, where the map arts would be on display for voters to cast their tickets and vote. iLxgend's design was accepted and incorporated into the events world, where it was used for the very first map art voting process on April 1st, 2021.

List of Competitions

2021 SimPvP Map Art Competition

Submission Start Date: March 5th, 2021
Submission End Date: March 31st, 2021
Voting Date: April 1st, 2021
Map Arts Submitted: 13
Total Voters: 47

2021 SimPvP Map Art Competition Forum Posts: [1]

At the very first Map Art Competition, iLxgend would be named as the winner, securing 28 total votes for his piece, "SimPvP". His map art was thus put on display at spawn, and he was gifted all the other prizes of the competition, including the diamond block voting fees and the contents of the donation box. All participants who submitted a map art were granted a copy of each submitted map art.

Below is a list of all thirteen map art submissions and the number of votes they secured. Vote count is in parenthesis and ties are given an asterisk:

"SimPvP" by iLxgend (28)
"Portland Head Light" by ostrich1414 (27)
"Dragon's Outrage" by NirkieSFR (26)*
"Anna Lee Fisher" by M_BRIX (26)*
"Worship" by Korijenkins (21)
"You Were The Chosen One" by Lord1 (20)
"Map Art" by Burger_Malone (14)
"WANTED!" by 4Pilot (13)
"#BanAntHand" by DiGGing4Gold (11)*
"The Wyvernblade" by Nebuelaz (11)*
"Kmmm" by 4540 (11)*
"ALL HAIL KING YUKARION THE GREAT!!!" by SkullerG (10)*
"HE COMETH" by Redacted_Virus (10)*

2022 SimPvP Map Art Competition

Submission Start Date: March 5th, 2022
Submission End Date: April 1st, 2022
Voting Date: April 2nd, 2022
Map Arts Submitted: 11
Total Voters: 44

2022 SimPvP Map Art Competition Forum Posts: [2]

At the second annual Map Art Competition one year later, Lord1 and IAmTheSheriff would be announced as the winners for their team effort of "Battle of Monarchia", which received 32 votes. Their map art was thus put on display at spawn, replacing last year's winner, and the two split the diamond block prize from the voting fees, as well as receiving a second special prize. All participants who submitted a map art were granted a copy of each submitted map art.

Below is a list of all eleven map art submissions and the number of votes they secured. Vote count is in parenthesis and ties are given an asterisk:

"Battle of Monarchia" by Lord1 & IAmTheSheriff (32)
"Phoenix" by NirkieSFR (24)
"SimPvP 11 Year Anniversary" by _Goujon_ (23)
"Jules Winnfield" by ostrich1414 (21)
"Into the Notch" by Gsmack (17)
"In Memory of Wood" by DKC (15)
"SimPvP Clock" by danimania & TheHirou (14)
"Awkward Potion" by TuataraBoots (12)
"Cope" by Laztec (11)
"Leuciscus leuciscus" by dacegod863 (7)
"Triangle" by iLxgend (5)

2023 SimPvP Map Art Competition

Submission Start Date: March 1st, 2023
Submission End Date: April 1st, 2023
Voting Date: April 2nd, 2023
Map Arts Submitted: 11
Total Voters: 44

2023 SimPvP Map Art Competition Forum Posts: [3]

At the third annual Map Art Competition, NirkieSFR would be announced as the winner for his map art "House by the Lake", receiving 37 total votes. His map art was thus put on display at spawn, replacing last year's winner, and he would win the diamond block voting fees, the contents of the spawn donation box, and a secret special prize. All participants who submitted a map art were granted a copy of each submitted map art.