If you think you've got what it takes to make a challenging, snazzy, and original Portal 2 map, a prevalent fansite for the game just opened a contest which is sure to get your attention.

Thinking With Portals, the fansite behind the competition, has announced that the winners of the top two positions are up for some fantastic prizes.

Before you get crafting away in the Valve Hammer Editor, you should know that the idea of this competition isn't just to make a ridiculously complex Portal 2 puzzle - the judges will range from hardcore veterans to very casual gamers, and you'll be critiqued in five areas: Puzzle Complexity, Visual Appeal and Attention to Detail, Innovation and Imaginative Design, Adherence to an Overall Theme (1940s Aperture or Destroyed Aperture), and Overall Fun and Playability. In short, you've got to be creative and throw some new twists into the mix, while keeping it a fun and visually pleasing experience.

The winners of the top two spots will both get an 'ultimate Portal 2 gift pack' signed by the developers, along with having their map featured on both Valve's official website and the TWP community. This means a lot of traffic will be pointed towards you and your map, which is enough nerd credibility to enjoy for a lifetime - almost as much as, say, having a gift package signed by all the developers.

Here are the rules for the competition:

  • Maps must be submitted no later than June 6th at 11:59pm EDT.
  • Both Singleplayer and Co-op maps are allowed. You may submit one map of each game mode.
  • Maps cannot contain custom assets of any kind. No exceptions. Spend your time working on your puzzle, not making models, textures, sounds/voices, or other extra content.
  • Maps must contain both an Entry and an Exit elevator, the style of which as appropriate for your map theme. 1940's Aperture maps can use the old style elevators, destroyed Aperture can use the destroyed looking elevators, and so on.
  • Maps must be able to be completed without using engine or portaling glitches of any kind.
  • Entries must be uploaded to the ThinkingWithPortals.com Download Database and uploaded in a compressed file format (such as ZIP, RAR or 7z).
  • Entries must include the source VMF.

If you're feeling up to the challenge, brittle human, feel free to head to the Contest Page, and then download the Valve Hammer Editor. Of course, you have to actually own Portal 2 - so that you have the map files. Be sure to follow the rules and we here at Game Rant wish you luck!

Source: Thinking With Portals