This post was created as part of NEXON PEAK activities.

Hello.

I have put together a brief overview of the 2nd Golden Hands Awards, currently underway in MapleStory. Before submitting an entry, please read the event page on the official website carefully for the full details and submission requirements.

2nd Golden Hands Awards Schedule

The Golden Hands Awards is MapleStory's player design contest. The 1st contest concluded in 2021, and the 2nd is now taking place in 2026. The key dates are listed below.

Submission Period	Internal Review Period	1st Voting Period
October 22, '26 – November 11, '26	November 12, '26 – November 29, '26	November 30, '26 – December 6, '26
Final Winner Selection: Further details to be announced

Details of how the final winners will be selected have not yet been announced. In the previous contest, representatives from various fields, including Jin of BTS, personally selected the winning entries. This time, the selected designs will go on sale in stages according to the schedule below.

The final winners will receive the following rewards.

Changes from the 1st Contest — 1: New 솔 헤카테 Skin Category

솔 헤카테 skins, introduced between the 1st and 2nd contests, now have their own submission category.

Changes from the 1st Contest — 2: Number of Winning Entries

The number of winning entries selected in each category has changed.

Category	1st Contest	2nd Contest
Hair	12 winners	10 winners
Face	6 winners	10 winners
Outfit Set	6 winners	10 winners
Pet	6 winners	3 winners
솔 헤카테 Skin	X	3 winners
Silver Hands	50 winners in total	X

The 2nd contest has slightly more Golden Hands winners than the previous contest. However, an additional 50 Silver Hands designs were released last time; including those, the total number of designs for the 2nd contest is considerably lower. This time, only Golden Hands designs will be released.

Changes from the 1st Contest — 3: AI Screening for Submissions

An AI screening step has been added to the submission process. Rather than a MapleStory-specific rule, this is a measure introduced in response to broader changes in the times.

Thank you for reading.