[Begrezen]

General Rules

1. The competition is organized by the administration of the Akademia Wojny portal (www.heroes3.eu).
2. The purpose of the competition is to select the best map for Heroes of Might and Magic III in the current year.
3. The competition consists of two stages:

- Stage I: Maps sending – from 19 February to June 30, 2026

- Stage II: Maps evaluation – from July 1 to October 31, 2026

‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‎‎Stage I – Maps Sending

1. Only a logged-in user may submit a map to the competition. If you do not have an account on the portal, you must register first.
2. Maps must be submitted via the form available at: www.heroes3.eu/upload
(select the “Competition Map” option, which constitutes acceptance of these rules).
3. Each participant may submit a maximum of 3 maps.
4. Only maps that have not been publicly released prior to the start of the competition may be submitted.
5. Submitted maps must be original and created independently. Plagiarism, understood as copying other authors’ maps or substantial parts thereof, is strictly prohibited. The final decision as to whether a given map violates these rules rests with the Organizer.
6. The competition map size is limited: a map may not exceed XL+U (with underground) or H-U (without underground).
7. There are no restrictions regarding the map’s theme or game version (recommended: HotA, SoD); however, the map must comply with the portal’s general regulations.
8. The map must be prepared in either Polish or English.
9. Participants may update their submitted maps until the end of the sending stage. Once the evaluation stage begins, updates will no longer be possible (until the competition concludes).
10. Each submitted map will undergo preliminary verification by the Organizer. Maps of low quality, as well as maps generated using random map generators or “obstacle tools,” will not be accepted into the competition.

‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‎‎Stage II – Maps Evaluation

1. A map review consists of a numerical rating on a scale from 1 to 5 (half-points allowed, e.g., 3.5), along with a written justification.
2. The justification must be substantive and supported by arguments (e.g., regarding gameplay, balance, storyline, aesthetics, potential map errors) explaining the assigned rating. General, low-effort reviews such as “Nice map, recommended” or “Bad map 2/5” will not be included in the final ranking. Screenshots and save files may be attached to a review, but this is not required.
3. Each review must be unique and refer to a specific evaluated map. Copying the same review content and assigning it to multiple competition maps (even if they are narratively connected) is prohibited.
4. A user may review each map only once.
5. A user may edit the content of their review any number of times until the end of the evaluation stage.
6. A competition participant may not review their own map.
7. For a map to be included in the final ranking, it must receive at least 3 reviews.
8. The nicknames of participating map authors and all competition reviews will remain hidden until the end of the evaluation stage (during this time, only the number of submitted reviews will be visible). To ensure maximum objectivity during the evaluation process, authors are advised not to sign their maps or otherwise reveal their authorship until the competition concludes.
9. Suspicious reviews from accounts with one-time or minimal activity will be carefully examined by competition moderators. If reasonable doubts arise regarding the reliability of a review, its author may be asked to provide save files or other materials (e.g., gameplay recordings) to confirm its authenticity. Reviews that fail verification will be deactivated.
10. From the beginning of the evaluation stage, participants are allowed to publicly share their competition map on other websites, provided that the following conditions are met: