Minecraft Movie Build Challenge: private screening, film credit

Minecraft launched the Movie Build Challenge on May 30, 2026, offering players a 16x16x32 plot and a curated block list to create a biome-themed build. Submissions open May 30 at 12:00 a.m. PT and close June 8 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Public voting on finalists runs July 2–5, 2026. Entrants must be at least 16 years old and use Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

Players must download the official Build Challenge map from the Minecraft Marketplace. A Minecraft Education Edition version will be available for practice but cannot be used for contest submissions. Each entry must occupy only the designated 16x16x32 area. Competitors may enter one build in one of four biome categories: plains, taiga, badlands or frozen ocean.

To enter, contestants must submit through gleam.io during the entry window and upload a 15- to 30-second unlisted YouTube video showing a 360-degree daytime view of the build and a front-facing screenshot that clearly presents the structure. Videos must contain only in-game audio, show no player characters or other people, and avoid cinematic effects or dramatic lighting. Judges will evaluate builds primarily from the exterior and a single camera pass, so the front view should be clear.

An internal judging process will select 15 semifinalists and then three finalists. Community voting will determine the overall winner between July 2 and July 5. Each semifinalist will receive two movie tickets. Each finalist will receive a private screening in addition to tickets. The overall winner will receive two tickets, a private screening, and potential inclusion of their build in A Minecraft Movie Squared or its end credits. Warner Bros. will determine where any winning build appears in the film. Microsoft is the contest sponsor and sets the official rules.

The contest enforces technical and content restrictions. Builders may use floating blocks but must not build underground beneath the designated area. Players may not use Nether- or End-exclusive blocks, Creative-mode-only items (such as spawn eggs), redstone components, complex machines, automation, or logic systems. Only specified Overworld passive and neutral mobs are allowed; hostile and humanoid mobs are prohibited. Entries must not include words, logos, pixel art, banners, maps, religious or extremist symbols, replicas of real-world landmarks, or player characters.

Allowed materials include a general palette such as stone, sand, gravel, water, lava, cobblestone, wool, glass, torches, crafting tables, furnaces, stone bricks, copper variants, iron, lapis and certain chain options. Biome-specific options include prismarine and ice variants for frozen ocean; deepslate and podzol variants for taiga; hay blocks and crop items for plains; and red sandstone, mud bricks, terracotta and gold for badlands. Entrants should consult the official block list before building.

Microsoft is also running a Builder Cape promotion tied to livestream viewing from May 30 at 12:00 a.m. PT through June 14 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Viewers can earn a cape by watching qualifying streams for a minimum period: three consecutive minutes on Game Reward-enabled TikTok livestreams or five consecutive minutes on Twitch Partners or Affiliates streaming in the Minecraft category. Platforms will issue redemption codes that must be entered at minecraft.net/redeem by June 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Capes will be applied to accounts within 30 days after the promotion ends and are non-transferable.

Entrants must follow all submission guidelines, meet the format and content rules, and check email for notification if selected as a semifinalist. Full contest rules, eligibility details and legal terms are available on the official contest pages.