The Sandbox launched a city-building contest focusing on reconstructing New York City within its virtual environment, encouraging participants to design virtual replicas of New York’s iconic landmarks and neighborhoods, capturing the city’s essence through artistic and cultural representations.
Entry Requirements and Tools
Participants are required to utilize The Sandbox’s Game Maker software to craft their entries. The contest also provides optional tools like VoxEdit, which helps creators design custom assets that reflect New York’s distinctive architectural and cultural traits.
Each submission must be confined to a 1×1 land plot on the metaverse platform, ensuring a level playing field. The submission deadline is March 12, with a voting phase scheduled from March 13 to March 26.
Who is this for?
This alternative is intended for creators who:
- Aren’t official partners of The Sandbox (Trusted Partners, Advanced Trusted Partners, etc.).
- Aren’t in the top 100 of the Builders’ Challenge.
- Haven’t yet won any SAND in a Game Jam.
Judging and Prizes
A panel of external judges will evaluate the entries based on several criteria, including visual quality, asset design, and the depicted locations’ accuracy. The ability to evoke the ambiance of New York City will also be a significant factor in the judging process.
The Sandbox has announced a prize pool of 30,000 SAND, the platform’s native cryptocurrency. The top nine entries will each receive 3,000 SAND and will be featured on a unique New York-themed estate within the metaverse. An additional 500 SAND is available for commendable entries but does not make the top nine.
Diversity and Inspiration
The competition encourages a diverse depiction of New York by allowing creators to draw inspiration from various parts of the city, including Times Square, Central Park, and neighborhoods like Harlem and Chinatown.
To maintain fairness, The Sandbox stipulates that employees and affiliated contractors are not eligible to participate. Multiple entries per creator are permitted, though only one can be among the top nine. To claim rewards, all prize recipients must undergo identity verification through their digital wallets.