Timberborn developer Mechanistry is running a Build-a-Map contest with a prize pool of more than €3,000. Players have until 23:59 CET on 8 November 2026 to build an original map in the city builder's built-in map editor and share it on Steam Workshop. The contest opened on 8 October and follows Update 1.1, the first major update since Timberborn's 1.0 release in March.
What Mechanistry Wants
Entries must be new maps, not published anywhere before 8 October 2026, and made with Timberborn's own map editor. They have to load and work in the unmodded game, so a map that needs a mod, such as one that raises the editor's height limit, won't qualify. Mechanistry will pick the winners for originality, playability and appearance.
There is one building rule. Every map must contain some Succulents, the desert plant added in Update 1.1. The studio stresses that this isn't the theme. It only proves the map was made on the current version. As the contest FAQ puts it, "Having 3 is as good as 300, just don't troll us by hiding them."
Prizes
Maps compete in three size categories. Each category winner receives €750, a place in the game's credits and the "Masterful Architect" rank on Timberborn's Discord. Each category also has three honorable mentions worth €100 each. Mechanistry notes that these amounts are what remains after the 10% prize tax it has to deduct in Poland.
| Category | Map size | Winner | Honorable mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 128x128 and below | €750 | 3 x €100 |
| Medium | 129x129 to 255x255 | €750 | 3 x €100 |
| Large | 256x256 | €750 | 3 x €100 |
How to Enter
- Build a new map in the map editor and place Succulents somewhere on it
- Upload it to Steam Workshop with
[MapContest1]in its name - Add at least three screenshots, one of them showing the whole map, and a description of what makes the map interesting
- Submit the official entry form once for every map you enter
The upload and the form share the same deadline, 23:59 CET on 8 November. The contest is open to Steam players only, and the full rules are in Mechanistry's terms and conditions.
New Water Tools From Update 1.1
Update 1.1 arrived on 3 September 2026 and gives players more ways to work with Timberborn's 3D water physics. Four new watertight buildings let beavers build through levees without leaks:
- Airlock: a tunnel built into a levee, so beavers can pass through a reservoir wall instead of climbing over it
- Impermeable Tubeway: a horizontal tubeway that fits into a levee wall (Iron Teeth only)
- Impermeable Power Shaft: carries power through a levee, for example to a pump at the top of a reservoir
- Compact Mechanical Pump: moves water straight from one side of a wall to the other, and can be stacked for setups such as pressurized pipes
The Succulent itself grows only on dry land and dies if it is overwatered. It stores a little water, which beavers collect when Lumberjacks cut the plant, and it can be placed in the map editor or grown by Foresters.
The update also added graphs that track goods and population over time, for the whole settlement or a single district. Relays now accept more than two inputs, which makes multi-condition automation easier to build. Each faction gained a Tier 4 monument, the Hall of Abundance for the Folktails and the Arch of Progress for the Iron Teeth, plus two new attractions.
Two Unconventional Maps
Update 1.1 also brought two new maps that Mechanistry calls some of its most original creations yet. On Nomads (256x256), the water flow across a vast, arid land changes from cycle to cycle, so beavers may need to migrate. On Pillars (192x192), colonies have to make the most of a limited, fractured upper level, because the ground below is far from hospitable.
