- The Design A Sprite contest is Epic’s Concept Royale challenge for Chapter 7 Season 3 — submit an original Sprite design, win $2,500 and see it added to Fortnite.
- Entry runs from June 17, 2026 at 9 AM ET to July 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Two weeks to submit.
- Post to X, Instagram, or TikTok using #DesignASprite, or submit to r/FortniteBR with the Design A Sprite flair.
- You can submit up to two original designs per person.
- 3 winners are selected. Each receives $2,500 cash and their Sprite built into the game for real.
- Judging uses three equal categories: unique use of theme, fun factor, and overall visuals — 5 points each, 15 points total.
- AI-generated art is banned. Posts must be public. Designs must be original and fit the Fortnite art style.
The Fortnite Design a Sprite contest is part of Epic’s long-running Concept Royale programme, which gives the community a direct shot at getting their own designs built into the game. This edition launched on June 17, 2026 and centres on Sprites — the passive ability companions at the core of Chapter 7 Season 3 Runners. Three winning designs will be turned into real, playable Sprites that appear in matches. Each winning designer also takes home $2,500. Total prize pool: $7,500.
Here is how the contest works, how to enter correctly, what Epic’s judges are looking for, and what design tips give your concept the best shot at winning.
What Is the Fortnite Design a Sprite Contest?
Design A Sprite is the 2026 edition of Fortnite’s Concept Royale series. Concept Royale is Epic’s recurring community design challenge where fan-created artwork gets turned into official in-game cosmetics. Previous editions asked players to design skins, and the winning concepts were built into Fortnite and released in-game.
This edition is specifically focused on Sprites — the small magical creatures that equip to your back, grant passive abilities, and are the defining mechanic of Chapter 7 Season 3 Runners. Epic announced the contest on June 17, 2026 through the official Fortnite social channels and on fortnite.com.
Unlike fan art contests where winners get recognition or small prizes, this one produces real in-game content. The three winning Sprite designs will be built into Fortnite as playable companions that players can find, extract, and equip during matches for the rest of the season. There is also a possibility that winning Sprites could receive special variants — Gold, Gummy, or Galaxy versions — following the same pattern as existing Sprites in the current loot pool.
Fortnite Design a Sprite Contest Dates
- Contest opens — June 17, 2026 at 9 AM ET
- Contest closes — July 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
- Winners selected — after July 1, 2026 (exact announcement date not confirmed)
The submission window is approximately two weeks. Once it closes, Epic’s judging panel reviews all entries and selects the three winning designs. The winning Sprites are then built into Fortnite and added to the season’s loot pool.
How to Enter the Design a Sprite Contest
Entering the contest is free and requires no purchase. Here is exactly what you need to do:
- Create an original Sprite design. It must be your own work. It cannot copy or closely resemble an existing Fortnite Sprite, character, or other intellectual property.
- Make your post public. Private posts or accounts set to private will not be reviewed. Epic cannot judge what they cannot see.
- Post on a qualifying platform using the correct submission method (see below).
- You can submit up to two designs. Submitting your best two ideas uses your full allowance.
Where to Submit
Four platforms accept entries:
- X (formerly Twitter) — post your design publicly and include the hashtag #DesignASprite in the post text.
- Instagram — post your design publicly and include #DesignASprite in the caption.
- TikTok — post your design publicly and include #DesignASprite in the video or caption.
- Reddit (r/FortniteBR) — post your design to the r/FortniteBR subreddit using the Design A Sprite post flair. The flair must be applied correctly — entries without it may not be counted.
You don’t need to submit to all four platforms. Posting correctly to one qualifies you. If you post to multiple platforms, each counts as a separate submission toward your two-entry limit.
Who Can Enter
- Age requirement — entrants must be 16 or older, or have parental consent if they are a minor under the legal age in their region.
- Geographic restrictions — the contest is not open to residents of certain countries. Check the official Design A Sprite contest rules before entering if you are unsure whether your country qualifies.
- No purchase required — you don’t need to own the Battle Pass, play Fortnite actively, or spend any money to enter.
Judging Criteria — How Epic Scores Your Design
A panel of Epic Games judges reviews every submission after the July 1 deadline. Entries are scored across three equal categories, each worth up to 5 points. Maximum score is 15 points total.
- Unique use of theme (5 points) — does your Sprite have a distinctive concept that feels fresh? A design that explores a theme in an unexpected or clever way scores higher here than something generic or predictable. Think about what makes a Sprite feel special versus what makes it blend in with existing ones.
- Fun factor (5 points) — would this Sprite be enjoyable to find, equip, and use? Epic is building this into a game played by millions. The design should have personality and make players happy to see it drop from a Sprite Chest.
- Overall visuals (5 points) — does the design look good? Is it clear, readable, and appealing at the small size Sprites appear in-game? A Sprite rides on your back during matches — it needs to read as a distinct creature from across the island, not just at close range in a loading screen.
All three categories carry identical weight. A design that maxes out one category but scores low on another cannot win on one strength alone. Aim for balance across all three.
What Makes a Good Sprite Design — Tips for Entering
Study Existing Sprites First
Before designing, spend time looking at every existing Sprite in the game. The current roster includes Fire, Water, Earth, Duck, Ghost, King, Demon, Dream, Punk, and Zero Point Sprites, plus TheBurntPeanut. Each one has a clear elemental or conceptual identity, a readable silhouette, and a personality that fits Fortnite’s style. Your design needs to feel like it belongs alongside these — not as a copy, but as a natural addition to the same family.
Use the full Sprites guide to review all current designs and identify which themes have already been covered. Submitting something that occupies an uncovered concept space gives you a natural advantage on the “unique use of theme” criterion.
Give Your Sprite a Clear Ability Concept
Every existing Sprite has a passive ability that makes mechanical sense for its theme — the Water Sprite replenishes shields near water, the Fire Sprite creates a burst on damage, the Ghost Sprite cloaks you on reload. Your design doesn’t need a fully written game description, but including a brief ability concept in your post shows judges you’ve thought about how it would actually work in a match.
An ability concept also helps the “fun factor” score. A Sprite with a passive ability that’s easy to visualise and clearly enjoyable is more compelling to judges than a design with no gameplay context attached.
Design for Small Scale
Sprites appear on your back during matches. They need to be recognisable at a small size. Avoid very fine detail that will be invisible at normal viewing distances. Focus on a strong silhouette — the outline of the creature alone should be distinctive enough to identify. Look at how existing Sprites read as clear shapes even when tiny on screen.
Keep It Original to Fortnite
Avoid basing your Sprite on existing characters, other game franchises, real-world brands, or famous IP. Even if the concept is good, any submission that risks intellectual property issues will be excluded. The design must be your own original creation and must fit within Fortnite’s art world.
No AI Art
Epic explicitly prohibits the use of automated devices to create submissions. AI-generated art — including images produced by tools like Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, or similar — will disqualify your entry. The design must be hand-created by you. Digital art, traditional art, and sketches are all acceptable as long as they’re created by a human.
Include a Sprite Ability in Your Post
Epic hasn’t made this a requirement, but adding a brief description of what your Sprite would do in-game alongside the artwork strengthens your entry. It demonstrates that you’ve thought beyond the visual design and considered how the creature fits into the Sprite extraction and collection system. One or two sentences is enough.
What Happens If You Win
Each of the three winners receives:
- $2,500 cash prize — paid out after winner confirmation. Review the official contest rules for payment method and tax details specific to your region.
- Your Sprite built into Fortnite for real — Epic will take your concept and develop it as an actual in-game Sprite that players can find in Sprite Chests, on the map, and in Vaults during Chapter 7 Season 3 matches.
- Potential special variants — there is a chance that a winning Sprite could receive Gold, Gummy, or Galaxy variant versions following the same pattern as existing Sprites. This has not been officially confirmed, but Beebom notes Epic’s own language leaves this door open.
Your Sprite would join a roster that already includes some of the rarest Sprites in Fortnite. If a Mythic-rarity version of a winning Sprite were added, it could become one of the most sought-after drops in the entire season.
Concept Royale Track Record
Epic’s Concept Royale programme has a genuine history of following through. Previous editions of the contest — which have run across multiple Fortnite seasons — produced designs that were implemented into the game as actual cosmetics available to all players. The programme typically awards two to three winners per edition, all of whom received both the cash prize and real in-game presence.
This means entering the Design A Sprite contest isn’t a raffle or a vague promise. Epic has a track record of honouring it. The winning Sprites will be built into Chapter 7 Season 3’s loot pool, not just acknowledged on social media.
Design a Sprite Contest Quick Reference
- Contest name — Design A Sprite (Concept Royale)
- Entry open — June 17, 2026 at 9 AM ET
- Entry close — July 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
- Platforms — X, Instagram, TikTok (#DesignASprite) or r/FortniteBR (Design A Sprite flair)
- Entries per person — up to 2
- Winners — 3
- Prize per winner — $2,500 cash + Sprite added to Fortnite
- Total prize pool — $7,500
- Judging — unique use of theme / fun factor / overall visuals (5 points each)
- Age — 16+ or parental consent for minors
- AI art — banned, disqualifies entry
- Posts must be — public
- Official rules — fortnite.com/news/design-a-sprite-see-it-added-to-fortnite
Get Familiar With Sprites Before You Design
The stronger your knowledge of how Sprites actually work in Chapter 7 Season 3, the better positioned your design will be. Familiarise yourself with the existing roster, how they level up, how they’re extracted, and what makes each one distinct. These are the resources that cover it:
- All Sprites, abilities and rarities in Fortnite Runners
- Best Sprites in Fortnite Runners
- Sprite Mastery guide
- How to level up Sprites
- John Wick Pen & Ink skin — for context on this season’s full cosmetic roster
Download Fortnite and Join Chapter 7 Season 3
Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 Runners is free to play on all platforms. Even if you’re entering the Design A Sprite contest without owning the Battle Pass, you can still play and experience Sprites firsthand before designing your entry.
