Contest Submission Deadline: March 17th, 2013

The NGA is looking for brand new grifball courts for the next season of the grifball league! This contest will focus primarily on aesthetics, as forging a grifball map doesn't require much knowledge or utilization of level design theory, though some basic principles will be required to be demonstrated.

What we're looking for:

We're looking for new and innovative designs that support a fair game of grifball. Submissions must be functional (including spawns, flat surfaces, etc.) and look professional. Maps can be forged on any of the forge locations in Halo 4 (Ravine, Impact, or Erosion). We'll be looking for creativity, as well as great designs!

Disqualification Criteria:

Map is turned in after the deadline
Map is not functional (Spawns not setup, Grifball gametype not setup)
Offensive map title or description
Stolen Map (Submissions must be from the author only)
Manipulated Map (Modded maps are not welcome for this contest)
Non-Unique Map (Maps must be new, and created for this contest. Finished designs submitted for other purposes are not acceptable)

Map Sizes:

Courts can be measured by placing a scalable object in the middle of the court (such as a safe zone or respawn zone) and changing the length and width of the object to meet the edges of the map. Submissions will be classified in the following manner:

Tiny - 26 x 24
Small - 32 x 28
Normal - 34 x 30
Large - 38 x 34
Abnormal - Unique Design

If you have a new design idea (think Blargball from Halo: Reach) that will change the court design completely, those submissions are welcome as well, and will be classified as "Abnormal".

Judging Criteria:

Each submission will be judged by a panel of 8 people. These selected persons may consist of NGA admins, Forgers, and/or grifball players. This panel will not be revealed before the submission deadline. Each judge will offer a score/rating for every map 1, 2, or 3 (Where '1' is 'Needs Work', and '3' is 'Excellent'.) We will tally all scores together, and add it to an Overall Score. At the end of the contest, the maps with the top three scores will be our winners. To see all of the judging requirements and a scorecard, click here: http://bit.ly/11uXrte. Spawns must be setup to rival the current NGA spawn style (identical to Halo: Reach style), unless your map is 'abnormal', in which spawns must work appropriately. For a resource defining how an official NGA court should be setup (Spawns, safe-zones, etc), click here: http://bit.ly/VLsAWQ. Note: Following those general requirements will aid greatly in the creation of a perfect grifball map, in case you may not be familiar with them.

Prizes:

[1st Place]
A copy of Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn on DVD.
A code worth 800 Microsoft points
Map consideration for NGA league play and tournament use
A grifball-themed avatar prop for xbox 360

[2nd Place]
A code worth 800 Microsoft points
Map consideration for NGA league play and tournament use
A grifball-themed avatar prop for xbox 360

[3rd Place]
Map consideration for NGA league play and tournament use
A grifball-themed avatar prop for xbox 360

How to Submit:

Submission link will be made available on the homepage and forums right here at Grifball.net. You will need a free account to submit your map.

Disclaimer:

The NGA reserves the right to reuse and/or rename any submissions for the use in the NGA Grifball Leagues as determined by the judges. We may request you to edit any map to comply with NGA requirements, and can edit any submissions to accommodate these requirements ourselves.

We will accept multiple submissions from a single contestant; however, we prefer quality over quantity, and each participant may only win one of the three prizes. That being said, if you've got Grifball courts in your heart and time on your hands, we'd love to see what you come up with.

All winning maps will be submitted to the matchmaking community cartographers responsible for Grifball Matchmaking, for possible inclusion into the playlist.
(Matchmaking is not controlled by the NGA, and winning is not a guarantee of inclusion.)

"Good luck, have fun, and happy forging!" - The NGA Staff

Major thanks go to Master Sundown for all his help in putting this together!

Discuss in our Forums

We will be holding a community night on Saturday at 8PM Eastern where members of the NGA will be available to share maps, tips, and the wish list of the community at large. Leave a reply with your gamertag for an invite; if you're not too familiar with grifball, it could be a great way to meet the community and get a leg up on the competition! :) Hope to see you there.