KRAFTON's PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS sneaker design contest turned community creativity into a potential in-game skin.
In 2022, KRAFTON Inc. invited PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS players to imagine the future of footwork through the LAND portion of its LAND, LOOT, SURVIVE content theme. The prompt was deceptively simple: sneakers. Not tactical boots, not armored greaves, but sneakers that could carry a character across Erangel, Miramar, and Taego. By 2026, the contest has long concluded, and its planned in-game skin release window of the first half of 2023 is firmly in the past. The event remains a useful case study in how a battle royale brand once turned community creativity into a potential cosmetic item. The original prompt asked participants to submit original sneaker designs for a chance to become an official PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS skin, while non-artists could vote for their favorite finalist. A revised Terms and Conditions document, modified on May 23, governed the contest from its April 22, 2022 start date.
🎨 The Four-Angle Blueprint
The submission required four sketches, a demand that made each entry feel like a four-part orthographic x-ray of a sneaker. The half-side view had to be colored, capturing the angle between front and side at roughly 45 degrees. The side view, top view, and bottom view did not need color; clean line art was acceptable. Participants could sketch freely from scratch rather than tracing the provided example. File formats were JPEG or PNG, and images needed to be at least 1280 by 1280 pixels. KRAFTON also asked artists to avoid text, words, or numerous letters because such details would not display clearly in-game. Even the winner's final in-game item appearance could change, meaning the submitted design was a seed rather than a guaranteed final render.
🚫 Creative Boundaries
The rules were a narrow bridge over a canyon of disqualification. Designs could not use logos, symbols, or hints tied to a particular religious, organizational, or political orientation. Military unit or organization symbols were also forbidden. Participants could not infringe another person's or company's trademark, music, logo, or image without written consent. Obscene, offensive, sexually explicit, or derogatory content was prohibited, as were messages promoting alcohol abuse, illegal drugs, tobacco, actual firearms or weapons, or a particular political agenda. Defamatory or disparaging remarks about people or companies were off-limits. Finally, the contest was strictly for sneakers: slippers, dinosaur feet, heels, and other non-sneaker footwear did not qualify.
🏆 Selection and Public Vote
KRAFTON first assessed entries internally and selected five finalists. The criteria were creativity, adherence to the design guideline, and fit with PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS' brand identity. Those five designs then moved to a public vote on the official website. The schedule was published in three time zones, and the company noted that dates could change with updates if necessary.
| Phase | PDT | CEST | KST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission Period | April 22, 12 AM – May 20, 12 AM | April 22, 9 AM – May 20, 9 AM | April 22, 4 PM – May 20, 4 PM |
| Public Voting Period | May 31, 12 AM – June 8, 12 AM | May 31, 9 AM – June 8, 9 AM | May 31, 4 PM – June 8, 4 PM |
| Winner Announcement | June 10, 12 AM | June 10, 9 AM | June 10, 4 PM |
💰 Prizes, Rights, and Practicalities
The winner received 5,000 USD and was responsible for applicable taxes and charges. The five finalists who reached public vote received recognition, though the top prize remained singular. By submitting, participants agreed that KRAFTON had the right to use the awarded design, and the winner consented not to raise objections. Each account could participate only once. The winner might be asked for bank information to process the prize, and could reject the win if unwilling to pay required taxes. All rights to the winner's submission belonged to the company to the extent permitted by relevant laws, and the winner could not demand compensation beyond the amount paid for in-game implementation, sales, and related uses.
Entries had to be original and could not violate third-party rights, related laws, the company's Terms of Service, or Rules of Conduct. KRAFTON was not obligated to intervene in disputes between participants or third parties and would not compensate damages. Participants were responsible for all disputes related to their submissions. The company was not responsible for creation, disclosure, distribution issues, or damage compensations. The winner had to submit original files such as .PSD or .AI, so artists needed to retain them. The awarded design's rights were reserved to the winner, and the design could be used for in-game implementation and sales. When KRAFTON used the awarded design, the winner agreed the work might be transformed or reconstructed during in-game content implementation. The awarded design could also be used for promotional purposes. The in-game skin was scheduled for release during the first half of 2023, subject to change. Prizes were to be granted within one month of the winner announcement.
⚖️ Terms, Fair Play, and Disqualification
The revised Terms and Conditions took effect from the contest's starting date of April 22, 2022. Participants who disagreed could reach out through Customer Support to withdraw, after which their submission and all rights would be returned. Silence meant automatic consent. The revised terms remained in effect after the revision date and applied to participants and submissions submitted afterward.
KRAFTON reserved the right to cancel, change, or discontinue the contest without notice or consent if fraud or other circumstances affected fairness or integrity, whether due to human or technical error. If integrity could not be restored, the company could select a winner from eligible entries received before cancellation, modification, or suspension. Cheating or fraud was strictly prohibited and could lead to full disqualification from current and future contests, plus legal action for damages. The winner could be disqualified before or after receiving the prize for reasons including false information, unreachable contact details, failure to deposit taxes by the notified period, not meeting PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS age requirements, prize recipient name mismatch, missing required documents, unpaid applicable taxes, unclear prize acceptance, or refusal to accept.
As a 2026 retrospective, the LAND Fan Art Contest illustrates how a game community can be invited into the wardrobe of a virtual world. Its four-view sneaker brief was a precise mold for creativity, and its legal framework was a trellis that kept the contest upright. The contest is no longer open, and its 2023 release window has passed, but the event remains a snapshot of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS' approach to fan-made cosmetics: structured, brand-conscious, and eager to see what players would design when given a blank sole.