Minecraft Mod of the Year 2026, organized by the CurseForge platform together with creator Noxus, closed its submissions stage on November 9, 2026. It's the biggest edition of the contest in its history: for the first time, prizes have been split into two separate categories, and the total prize pool reaches $10,000. Now the submitted projects head to the jury, which will pick the finalists by December 7.

How the nomination stage worked

Nominations were open from October 26 to November 9, 2026. Anyone could submit their favorite mod or modpack without needing to log into a CurseForge account, all that was required was a link to the project and an email address. CurseForge announced the contest's return with the words "Mod of the Year is BACK, and it's bigger than ever!", also revealing the split into two categories: Best Mods and Best Modpacks.

For creators using Minecraft mods, this is a chance to see which projects earned the community's recognition over the past year. To qualify for submission, a project had to be published on CurseForge after September 2025 and be an original work, not a port or rework of an existing mod.

Requirements and prize structure

The entry bar was high: mods needed at least 50,000 downloads and modpacks 25,000 before they could be considered eligible for the contest. Every project also had to pass moderation on the platform.

Prizes in the Best Mods category are split across five places:

  • 1st place: $2,000
  • 2nd place: $1,500
  • 3rd place: $1,000
  • 4th place: $750
  • 5th place: $500

In the Best Modpacks category, three places are rewarded: $1,500, $1,000, and $500. All 24 finalists, regardless of their final placement, will receive swag packs and 2026 finalist badges.

The jury and the schedule ahead

Submissions are being judged by a jury made up of over 20 renowned mod authors and content creators from the Minecraft modding community, supported by three CurseForge staff members. Judging criteria include originality, impact on gameplay, technical quality, and value to the community, and the jury's vote accounts for 40% of the final result.

The schedule for the remaining stages is as follows:

  • December 7, 2026: finalists announced (12 per category)
  • December 7-17, 2026: community voting
  • January 3, 2027: winners announced

For players looking for inspiration ahead of the holiday season, December's finalist list could be a good starting point for browsing tools and directories useful for installing new packs.

How the contest has changed from the previous edition

The 2025 edition looked completely different: a single general category, three places each rewarded with prizes of $1,000, and a total budget of $3,000. The winners of the previous edition, announced by the CurseForge profile, were the mods Companions (by xylonity and themodderg), Bosses' Rise (blockfactorystudio), and Adorable Hamster Pets (The_Scarlet_Fox).

This year's tripling of the budget and the introduction of a separate category for modpacks suggests that CurseForge wants to give more recognition to creators of entire mod collections, not just individual projects. That's a significant shift for players relying on extensive modpacks, which often require detailed installation guides given the number of dependencies involved.

What's next for participants

The ball is now in the jury's court, as they need to sift through all submitted projects and pick 12 finalists in each category. Only then will the actual community voting begin, deciding in December how the bulk of the prizes gets split. Mod authors who didn't meet this year's download thresholds will get another shot next year, assuming CurseForge keeps running the contest annually.

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