Six days after Early Access launch, the modding scene around Subnautica 2 just got its first official push. CurseForge has opened a Subnautica 2 modding contest with a $3,000 USD prize pool spread across ten winners. Submissions open today, May 20, 2026, and the contest runs through community voting in mid-June.
One important detail up front: this contest is run by CurseForge, not Unknown Worlds. The studio is not affiliated with the event — this is a third-party community initiative on the CurseForge platform.
Schedule
- Phase 1 — Submissions open: May 20
- Phase 2 — Submissions close: June 10
- Phase 3 — Community voting: June 14–17
- Phase 4 — Winners announced: June 18
Prize Breakdown
$3,000 USD total, distributed across ten finalists:
- 1st place: $1,000
- 2nd place: $600
- 3rd place: $350
- 4th–10th place: $150 each
What Counts as a Mod
The contest has a single open category with no genre restrictions. CurseForge says entries can range from quality-of-life upgrades to full-blown ecosystem overhauls — new creatures, mechanical systems, balance tweaks, UI improvements, anything you can ship as a mod on the platform.
Eligibility & Rules
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You need a CurseForge account
- Your mod must be published live on CurseForge before you submit it
- You can submit multiple mods
- Teams are allowed — prize distribution among team members is the project owner's responsibility
How Judging Works
A CurseForge panel picks the finalists. Final rankings are then decided by community vote totals during the June 14–17 voting window, with results announced on June 18.
For Mod Authors Looking to Team Up
CurseForge has a Discord server attached to the contest for mod author support and team recruitment — useful if you're a modeler looking for a coder, or vice versa, before the June 10 cutoff.