Terms & Conditions

ARKathon 2 - 2026

As part of its ongoing support for the ARK: Survival Ascended modding community, CurseForge, in partnership with Studio Wildcard, is launching the ARKathon 2 2026 contest, inviting creators to develop original projects, explore new ideas, and share their work with players worldwide.

ARKathon is a dynamic contest designed to inspire and showcase the talents of the modding community, with the theme: "Season of the Hunt".

Below is a brief overview of the qualifications for entering and participating in the contest. Afterward, you will find the full and official rules governing the contest. Please take the time to read the official rules carefully.

Timetable

• Start Date: November 11th, 2026 - Participants may begin submitting their entries.
• Mid-Contest Rewards, 1st Round: December 1st, 2026 - ten authors with valid, approved entries will be selected and awarded $100 each.
• Mid-Contest Rewards, 2nd Round: December 17th, 2026 - ten authors with valid, approved entries will be selected and awarded $100 each.
• End Date: December 27th, 2026 (at 2:00 p.m. UTC) - The final date for participants to submit their entries.
• Community Voting Period: January 5th through January 11th, 2027 - Community vote period.
• Winners Announcement: January 13th, 2027 - Winners announcement.

Submission Categories

The contest will be running with two main categories:

• Gameplay: Includes new mechanics, challenges, tools, and other features inspired by hunting, exploration, and survival in ARK. 10 projects in this category will be selected as grand winners.
• Custom Cosmetics: Includes designs for original looks, such as creatures, structures, equipment, and more, drawing inspiration from natural textures, seasonal colors, and rugged styles. 10 projects in this category will be selected as grand winners.

Winners and Prizes

The contest consists of Grand Prizes, Mid-Contest Rewards, and Community Favorites. Grand Prizes and Community Favorites are based on skill: CurseForge, contest judges, and the community (all depending on the type of reward) will judge and select the winning projects. Mid-Contest Rewards and the voters' giveaway are awarded among eligible participants, as described below; no purchase or payment is necessary to enter or win.

Grand Prize Winners: $1,000 per winner for the Custom Cosmetics and Gameplay categories (20 total winners, $20,000 total).

Mid-Contest Rewards: To keep the contest exciting and reward as many authors as possible, CurseForge will hold two rounds of Mid-Contest Rewards on or around December 1st, 2026 and December 17th, 2026. In each round, ten authors with valid, approved entries will be selected (the drawing is among authors, not projects) and awarded $100 each (20 total winners, $2,000 total).

Community Favorites: ARK players are also invited to participate in the event by casting their votes for their favorite projects! Following the announcement of the finalists, the community will use a dedicated form to vote for their favorite submission in each category. 48 finalists (24 per category) will be revealed and displayed as randomized collections on the contest website. Two Community Favorites will be selected per category, and each Community Favorite winner will receive $2,000 (4 total winners, $8,000 total). After voting, voters will have a chance to enter a giveaway to win 1 year of CurseForge Premium (10 winners in total), and ARK Premium mods (10 winners in total).

How to Participate

1. Sign up as a CurseForge Mod Author: https://authors.curseforge.com/welcome/
2. Publish your project on CurseForge, and make sure it complies with the contest requirements (See "Submission Requirements" below for more information).
3. Fill out the submission form: https://links.curseforge.com/arkathon2-submissions
4. Authors may publish and submit as many projects as they'd like.

Judging

• Judges' Picks (Grand Prize Winners): A panel of judges, consisting of judges from the modding community and CurseForge, will select the projects they rated the highest among the submissions in each category.
• Community Picks (Community Favorites Winners): Chosen by the most voted projects in each category via a dedicated form.

The Panel of Judges will select the winners and winning creations based on 30% Originality, which will evaluate how creative, new, and unique the project is; 30% "Fun Factor," which will evaluate whether the project is fun to play with; 30% visual aesthetic aspect, which will evaluate whether the project is "eye-catching"; and 10% Downloads, which will determine the number of downloads the project has accumulated so far. Authors are eligible to win only once from the grand prizes and community favorites.

Submission Requirements

• You need to have a CurseForge Author Account and accept the terms and conditions.
• You will need to review, approve, and comply with the Official Contest Rules attached below.
• All submitted creations must adhere to CurseForge Moderation Policies and ARK's Specific Moderation Policies. This includes restrictions on the use of protected intellectual property, prohibitions on nudity, etc.
• All submitted projects must be new (not published on CurseForge prior to the reveal of the contest's website, on November 4th).
• All submitted projects must be free. Premium (paid) and freemium projects are not eligible.
• All submitted projects need to follow the contest's theme.
• Don't publish duplicated projects, and don't publish other people's work as your own. Prioritize publishing creations that add value to the player community.
• When publishing your creations, ensure they are accurately categorized.
• Note that all projects submitted to CurseForge undergo a moderation process, which could lead to a delay of a few days from submission to publication.

Failure to meet any of the requirements set forth below in the official rules may lead to the disqualification of your submission or the revocation of any winnings.

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

This ARKathon 2 2026 contest ("Contest") is sponsored and operated solely by Overwolf Ltd., including its affiliates, subsidiaries, and respective employees, officers, and directors (collectively "Sponsor").

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE OR A PAYMENT OF ANY KIND DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

The Grand Prizes and Community Favorites prizes are skill-based: winners will be selected based on the judging and community voting process described in these Rules, not by chance. The Mid-Contest Rewards and the voters' giveaway are awarded among eligible participants, as described in these Rules; entry is free and no purchase or payment is necessary.

This Contest is subject to all applicable local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. Participation in the Contest constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these official rules (the "Rules") as well as the CurseForge Mod Author Terms and Conditions, available at: https://legal.overwolf.com/docs/curseforge/mod-authors-terms (the "CurseForge Mod Author Terms"), which are accepted upon creation of a CurseForge account.

Any capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the same meaning set forth in the CurseForge Mod Author Terms.

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STUDIO WILDCARD; ADMINISTERED SOLELY BY SPONSOR.

This Contest is presented in partnership with Studio Wildcard, but is sponsored and administered solely by Sponsor. Neither Studio Wildcard nor any other ARK: Survival Ascended rightsholder is responsible for the operation of the Contest, the selection of winners, or the awarding of prizes. Entrants are providing their information to Sponsor, and not to any game developer, publisher, or other third party. ARK: Survival Ascended and all related names, marks, logos, characters, artwork, and other game assets are the property of their respective owners and are referenced only to identify the game for which the Contest and CurseForge project support are being offered.

1. ELIGIBILITY. This Contest is open to all individuals who: (i) have an active Mod Author Account on the CurseForge Platform or have signed up and created such an account in order to participate in the Contest (registration can be made here: https://authors.curseforge.com/welcome/); (ii) are at least 18 years old or at the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is greater; and (iii) are not otherwise prohibited by applicable law from participating in the Contest or receiving a prize. Employees of Sponsor, its affiliates, subsidiaries, and any agencies involved in the administration of the Contest, as well as the immediate family (spouses, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee, are not eligible to participate. The Contest is subject to all applicable laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

2. RULES AND AGREEMENTS. By participating in this Contest, you agree to comply with these Rules and all decisions made by the Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Winning a prize is subject to continued compliance with: (i) these Official Rules, (ii) the CurseForge Mod Author Terms, (iii) the CurseForge Moderation Policies and ARK's Specific Moderation Policies, and (iv) any applicable Community Guidelines on the CurseForge platform (collectively, the "Rules and Agreements"). All submitted projects will be reviewed for compliance with the above. The Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any project, entry, or participant found in violation of these Rules and Agreements. The Sponsor may also remove any project submitted to the Contest and revoke any previously granted prizes if a violation is discovered.

3. CONTEST PERIOD. Start Date: November 11th, 2026. End Date: December 27th, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. (UTC) ("Contest Period"). Mid-Contest Rewards drawings: on or around December 1st, 2026 and December 17th, 2026. Community Voting Period: January 5th through January 11th, 2027. Announcement: The Sponsor will announce the final winners on or around January 13th, 2027. Prizes must be accepted as awarded. No cash or other substitution will be permitted, except at the Sponsor's sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize or component thereof with another prize of equal or greater value. Prizes will only be awarded to the verified Mod Author account holder who submitted the entry. The Sponsor reserves the right to modify, extend, suspend, or terminate the Contest if it determines, that the Contest is technically impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures or malfunctions, or other causes beyond the Sponsor's control have destroyed or severely undermined or to any degree impaired the integrity, administration, security, proper play, and/or feasibility of the Contest as contemplated herein.

4. HOW TO ENTER? Submit the applicable project(s) by using the official Contest form available here: https://links.curseforge.com/arkathon2-submissions ("Form") during the Contest Period. The entry must fulfill the contest requirements, as specified above (including, without limitation: the project must be new and not published on CurseForge prior to November 4th, 2026; and the project must follow the Contest theme, and the project must be free to download and use in full, and not a premium or freemium project), to be eligible to win a prize. Entries that are incomplete or submitted without following the rules or specifications may be disqualified at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. To be eligible, the project must be published, live, and available on CurseForge by the end of the Contest Period. You must fill in all the information requested in the Form, accurately and truthfully. You may not enter more times than indicated by using multiple email addresses, identities, or devices in an attempt to circumvent the rules. If you use fraudulent methods or otherwise attempt to circumvent the Rules, your entry may be removed from eligibility at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. However, there is no limitation on the number of projects submitted; therefore, you can, under the same Account and email address, add and submit as many projects as you wish. The projects submitted need to be different; duplicated projects will be disqualified. Please note: even if you submit multiple projects, you are only eligible to win one Grand Prize or Community Favorite prize.

5. TYPES OF PRIZES AND AWARDS. The total prize pool for the Contest is $30,000 USD, awarded as follows:

• Grand Prizes: $1,000 USD per winning project, awarded to 20 winners across the two categories: Gameplay (10 winners) and Custom Cosmetics (10 winners) ($20,000 total).
• Mid-Contest Rewards: $100 USD each, awarded to a total of 20 authors over two rounds (10 authors per round), on or around December 1st, 2026 and December 17th, 2026. Winners will be selected from among all authors with valid, approved entries at the time of each drawing. Each drawing is conducted among authors, not projects: each eligible author receives one entry into the drawing regardless of the number of projects submitted ($2,000 total).
• Community Favorites: $2,000 USD per winning project, awarded to two projects per category as chosen by community vote (4 winners, $8,000 total).
• Voters' Giveaway: Following the Community Voting Period, 10 voters who submitted a valid vote and opted into the giveaway will be selected to each receive one (1) year of CurseForge Premium, and 10 additional voters will be selected to each receive ARK Premium mods chosen by the Sponsor.

Contest participants are eligible to win only one Grand Prize or Community Favorite prize, and a Grand Prize winner may not also win a Community Favorite prize (and vice versa). Mid-Contest Rewards and the Voters' Giveaway are awarded separately, and winning one type of prize does not disqualify a participant from winning another type. All prize amounts are pre-tax and will be paid out in accordance with applicable tax laws and reporting obligations. Winners may be required to provide additional information for prize disbursement and compliance.

6. SELECTION OF WINNERS.

• 6.1. Judging Panel. A panel of judges composed of Sponsor representatives and community experts will evaluate all eligible submissions in each category. The judges will select the finalists (48 finalists in total, 24 per category; no more than two (2) projects by the same author may be selected as finalists, in which case that author's two highest-rated projects will advance) and the Grand Prize winners in each category, based on the following criteria: (a) Originality - creativity, novelty, and uniqueness of the project (30%); (b) Fun Factor - whether the project is fun to play with (30%); (c) Visuals - visual presentation, aesthetic quality, and overall appeal of the project (30%); (d) Downloads - number of downloads the project has accumulated so far (10%). Authors are eligible to win only one Grand Prize or Community Favorite prize, regardless of the number of projects submitted.
• 6.2. Mid-Contest Rewards Drawings. On or around each of December 1st, 2026 and December 17th, 2026, the Sponsor will conduct a drawing among all authors with valid, approved entries at the time of that drawing. Ten authors will be selected in each drawing. Each eligible author receives one entry into the drawing regardless of the number of projects submitted. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible authors at the time of each drawing.
• 6.3. Community Vote. Following the selection of the finalists, the finalists will be published on the contest page, displayed as randomized collections (one collection per category). During the Community Voting Period, the community may vote for their favorite project in each category via a dedicated form. At the end of the voting, the Sponsor will determine the two projects with the highest number of valid community votes in each category, excluding projects by authors selected as Grand Prize winners. These two projects will be named the Community Favorites for their category and will each receive the applicable prize. The Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any votes that appear to be fraudulent, automated (including bots), or otherwise in violation of the Contest Rules. Any attempt to manipulate the vote may result in disqualification of the entry and/or participant. In the event of a tie, the Sponsor may consider factors such as download numbers and engagement, or conduct a final judging round to break the tie at its sole discretion.
• 6.4. Voters' Giveaway. Following the Community Voting Period, the Sponsor will conduct a drawing among all individuals who submitted a valid vote and opted into the giveaway. Ten winners will be selected to each receive one (1) year of CurseForge Premium, and 10 additional voters will be selected to each receive ARK Premium mods chosen by the Sponsor. Limit one giveaway entry per person. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries.

7. WINNERS NOTIFICATIONS. The Sponsor will announce the Contest winners on or around January 13th, 2027, through official CurseForge communication channels, including Discord, X (Twitter), and the CurseForge website. The Sponsor will attempt to notify winners using the email address associated with their CurseForge Mod Author account. Participants are responsible for ensuring their contact information is accurate and up to date. Winners will be required to provide any necessary information to process prize payments, including payment and tax details, where applicable. If a winner does not respond within fourteen (14) days of notification by the Sponsor, fails to provide the requested information, or is found in violation of these Rules, the prize will be forfeited and the Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify that winner and select an alternate. Prizes may be paid through the CurseForge Authors Rewards Program, direct payment, or any other payment method designated by Sponsor. Any prize paid through the CurseForge Authors Rewards Program will be subject to the applicable terms and requirements of that program. Where required under applicable laws, each winner shall be solely responsible for all federal, state, and/or local taxes, and the reporting consequences thereof, and for any other fees or costs associated with the prize or any applicable prize. ANY VIOLATION OF THESE RULES BY ANY WINNER (AT THE SPONSOR'S SOLE DISCRETION) WILL RESULT IN THE WINNER'S DISQUALIFICATION AS A WINNER OF THE CONTEST.

8. RIGHTS IN SUBMISSIONS. By submitting a project to this Contest, you grant the Sponsor and its affiliates a worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, and non-exclusive license to use, display, modify (for marketing or presentation purposes only), and distribute your submitted project(s), in whole or in part, for Contest-related, marketing, and publicity purposes related to the Contest and the CurseForge platform. For the avoidance of doubt, all submitted projects remain user-generated content and are not official ARK assets. No rights are granted under these Rules to integrate any project into ARK as an official in-game feature, official downloadable content, official preset, or other official game asset.

9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. The Sponsor will not be liable in case of (i) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunctioning of any computer, cable, network, hardware or software; (ii) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions or telephone or Internet service; (iii) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Contest; (iv) electronic or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; (v) failure of Sponsor to supply/provide the Prize or any part thereof, by any reason of any act of God, fire, natural disaster, accident, or act of government, or any other cause beyond the Sponsor's sole control; (vi) incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in the Contest; and (vii) for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries.

10. PUBLICITY RIGHTS. By entering the Contest, participants consent to the use of their name, project name, and any associated images or content for Contest-related purposes by the Sponsor, in any media, worldwide, without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

11. DISQUALIFICATIONS & CONDUCT. The Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any participant who tampers with the submission process, violates these Rules, or engages in conduct that is abusive, offensive, or disruptive to the Contest or its community.

12. CONTACT. For any questions regarding the Contest, please contact us at curseforge@overwolf.com or through the CurseForge Discord server.

13. GOVERNING LAW. These Rules are governed by and subject to the CurseForge Mod Author Terms, including applicable governing law and jurisdiction clauses, available at: https://legal.overwolf.com/docs/curseforge/mod-authors-terms.

14. PRIVACY POLICY. Any personal information collected through participation in the Contest, including through voting and the giveaway, will be processed in accordance with the Sponsor's privacy policy available at: https://legal.overwolf.com/docs/overwolf/platform/platform-privacy-policy