The BeastSaber Mapping Awards

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• What's Changing for 2025
• 2025 Categories
  • Supporting Map Categories
  • Lighting Categories
  • Map Style Categories
  • Individual Awards
• Frequently Asked Questions

💡 Hint: See a 🔗 icon? You can click and copy the URL to that specific section!

What's Changing for 2025? 🔗

• New and updated categories - We have a new "Best Vivify Visuals" lighting category, and have updated the "Best Gimmick Map" to "Best Wildcard Map". We've also made some minor text adjustments to the "Modded Map of the Year", and added a grace period for "Rookie Mapper of the Year".
  • Best Vivify Visuals: This category takes custom experiences to a whole new level with jaw dropping art. Who needs gameplay when you have visuals like this. Chroma and Noodle are allowed but the focus is Vivify.
  • Best Wildcard Map: This category shines a light on maps that explore beyond "normal" mapping. Cult classics, bending of mechanics, and different ways of thinking can be found here. This is the catch all category. Have something that is unique and doesn’t fit a category? Nominate it here!
  • Modded Map of the Year: The best modded map of the year. Full stop. Combining the full power of Vivify, Noodle Extensions, Chroma, or any other gameplay or visual mods; this map using mods to truly capture and convey the music and/or alter the gameplay in mind-blowing ways.
  • Rookie Mapper of the Year: The best up-and-coming mapper whose first map was released during the nomination period, now with the added grace period of 6 months leading up to the nomination period (June 1st 2024). Previously deleted maps count as first map releases. At most five maps can be from June 1st 2024-Dec 1st 2024.

The BeastSaber Mapping Awards relies on community donations to provide awards for community winners! If you want to help provide a steady form of support for The Beasties, please consider visiting our Patreon and contributing to any tier! All contributions are appreciated! ❤️

2025 Beasties Categories 🔗

We are always seeking and implementing feedback from mappers and the community over prior years on how we can improve our categories.
*Any categories that do not receive at least five qualified nominees will not be awarded at the end of the year.

Supporting Map Award Categories 🔗

• OST/DLC Map of the Year: Let’s take a moment to shine some light on the great work that our community-turned-official mappers have done and celebrate the best official map made in 2025.

  Example: Camellia - Tempo-Katana | Mapped by ETAN (no we're not giving you a free copy of a DLC map :P)

• Best Non-Standard Game Mode Map: This category celebrates the best of non-standard characteristics: One Saber, No Arrows, and 360/90-Degree maps. Maps must actually use the alt characteristic and not mods to simulate.

  Example Map: Camellia (feat. Camellia) - Ashed Wings
  

• Best Full Spread Map: This map has something for players at every level and does it with style and masterful mapping. To qualify, the map must have all five true difficulties — Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert, ExpertPlus.

  Example Map: Se mettre sur son trente-et-un ! - Furina Character Demo | Genshin Impact
  

• Best Ranked Map Below 8 Stars (BeatLeader and ScoreSaber separately): The best Ranked Map Below 8 Stars embodies top-notch mapping principles and is fine-tuned through rigorous quality checks and adjustments. It strikes the perfect balance between accessibility and challenge, making it an excellent choice for intermediate players looking to develop their skills.

  Example Map: [Ranked] [Chroma+] YOASOBI - Idol
  

  Example Map: [Chroma] SEREBRO - Mi Mi Mi
  

• Best Ranked Map 8-12 Stars (BeatLeader and ScoreSaber separately): The best Ranked Map 8-12 Stars exemplifies top-tier mapping practices, refined through rigorous quality checks and adjustments. It strikes the perfect balance of challenge and fun, making it an excellent choice for advanced players looking to test their skills.

  Example Map: $44,000 - PISSCORD
  

• Best Ranked Map 12+ Stars (BeatLeader and ScoreSaber separately): The best Ranked Map 12+ Stars exemplifies top-tier mapping techniques, refined through rigorous quality checks and adjustments. It provides a thrilling challenge for highly skilled players looking to push their limits.

  Example Map: Camellia - #1f1e33 (Ultimate Long Version)
  

  Example Map: katagiri - Kyuukou
  

Lighting Categories 🔗

Lighting nominations only have one “funnel” on the form. The Beasties team will separate maps into the right categories based on their construction.

• Best Vanilla Lights: The Best Vanilla Lights use ONLY base game V1 and V2 lighting mechanics and not only perfectly represent the music, but also add that ‘WOW’ factor when playing.

  Example Map: [12 Genres of Christmas Pack] David Foster - Carol of the Bells
  

• Best Vanilla+ Map: This category highlights maps that make amazing use of the new enhanced V3 lighting system available when using the new Official Editor.

  Example Map: [DITR6] Pratanallis - Black Berserker
  

• Best Chroma Lights: The Best Chroma Lighting category is full of any and all light shows that might make you drop the Full Combo to marvel at the beauty in the background using RGB color, precise component control, and Light ID.

  Example Map: t+pazolite - Emergency curtain call (BSWC 2024 grand finals tiebreaker)
  

• Best Chroma+ Lights: Chroma+ adds environment enhancement to the overall chroma toolbox to create custom experiences that are out of this world.

  Example Map: [Love Live! Birthday Pack] [Chroma+] Wien Margarete - Butterfly Wing
  

• 🆕 Best Vivify Visuals: This category takes custom experiences to a whole new level with jaw dropping art. Who needs gameplay when you have visuals like this. Chroma and Noodle are allowed but the focus is Vivify.

Map Style Categories 🔗

• Best Balanced Style Map: Look in the sky! Is it a tech map? Is it a dance map? Is it a speed map? WE DON’T KNOW! The Best Balanced Style Map is the mutt of the neighborhood – a little of this, a little of that – all combining into one fantastic map.

  Example Map: Virtual Riot - Fork Funeral
  

• Best High-Tech Style Map: With more angles than a dodecahedron, the best map in the “High-Tech” category bends the concept of parity to its will to create a challenging sight-read that retains great flow.

  Example Map: [BL RANKED] Teminite & Boom Kitty - The Master
  

• Best Low-Tech Style Map: With slightly less angles than a dodecahedron, the best map in the "Low-Tech" category bends the concept of parity to that perfect sweet spot to create a pleasantly surprising gameplay experience, while still retaining great flow.

  Example Map: IVE - Accendio
  

• Best Fitness Style Map: Build strength to the beat. The best fitness map forces constant natural movement in all dimensions with walls and bloqs that keep the flow until your legs give out.

  Example Map: [Fitbeat+] Dua Lipa - Levitating
  

• Best Dance Style Map: With a blend of big arm swings, high movement, and a bit lower density, the best map in the “Dance” category gets players of all ages grooving to the beat and sweating up a storm.

  Example Map: [V3] Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso
  

• Best Speed Style Map: Nothing screams “speed” more than that feeling of lactic acid setting in after tackling thousands of notes at mind-blowing BPMs, and the best map in the “Speed” category delivers an extra helping.

  Example Map: Camellia - Diastrophism (“Anamorphism” Long ver.)
  

• Best Accuracy Style Map: Chase that sweet high accuracy in a very, very careful dance. The best map in the Accuracy category has excellent rhythmic choice and well-placed emphasis with the fewest amount of notes.

  Example Map: FWLR & A-SHO - Cave Me In
  

• Best Challenge Style Map: Ranking Criteria? Curation? Mapping fundamentals? These are but chains to restrict the seemingly endless and wild imagination of challenge mappers. The best map in the “Challenge” category pushes the limits in every way.

  Example Map: [FREAKY TOP DIFFS] REQUiRE - buggin'
  

• Best Poodle Map: Poodles and Pauls. The best map in the Poodle category has excellent flow and well-placed emphasis with the long hold note swing style. Spirals, Switch-backs, and more!

  Example Map: [Chroma+] Come Play - Stray Kids (Arcane - League of Legends)
  

• 🔁 Best Gimmick Wildcard Map: This category shines a light on maps that explore beyond "normal" mapping. Cult classics, bending of mechanics, and different ways of thinking can be found here. This is the catch all category. Have something that is unique and doesn’t fit a category? Nominate it here!

  Example Map: FREE.99 - TRANS RIOT MUSIC
  

Individual Awards 🔗

• Pack of the Year: The map pack that has it all: a tight theme, new high-quality maps, and a great presentation across all difficulties, all wrapped up in a beautiful .bplist bow.

  Example Pack: WALLSOCKET PROJECT

• Rookie Lighter of the Year: The best up-and-coming lighter whose first map/lightshow was released during the nomination period. Previously deleted maps count as first map releases.

• 🔁 Rookie Mapper of the Year: The best up-and-coming mapper whose first map was released during the nomination period, now with the added grace period of 6 months leading up to the nomination period (June 1st 2024). Previously deleted maps count as first map releases. At most five maps can be from June 1st 2024-Dec 1st 2024.

• Lighter of the Year: A lighter, vanilla or chroma, who not only excels in their art but also shares their experience, leads, and mentors as they are able.

• Mapper of the Year: A mapper who not only excels in their art but also shares their experience, leads, and mentors as they are able.

• 🔁 Modded Map of the Year: The best modded map of the year. Full stop. Combining the full power of Vivify, Noodle Extensions, Chroma, or any other gameplay or visual mods; this map using mods to truly capture and convey the music and/or alter the gameplay in mind-blowing ways.

  Example Map: [Modchart] Leslie Wai - Paradigm
  

• Map of the Year: The best unmodded map of the year. Full stop. It has it all – representation, emphasis, flow – everything coming together for an incredible playing experience to go with the song.

  Example: [Chroma] surk - Impulse (Short Ver.)
  

Frequently Asked Questions 🔗

• I am a mapper. Can I nominate my own work for an award?

  Yes, you can nominate your own map for the appropriate category. You are limited to self-nominating ONE of your maps for a given category so be sure you are truly focusing on your best work. Self-nominations are not permitted for Mapper/Lighter of the Year. Rookie Mappers/Lighters are free to self nominate for Rookie Mapper/Lighter of the Year.

• Who chooses the nominees in each category?

  We will be lining up a team of Verified Mapper “Subject Matter Experts” spanning all of our categories. We will being looking for these volunteers in November. Our primary goal is to identify at least three “experts” in each area. For example, we have tech mappers and players screening tech maps; modcharters screening modcharts, experienced Chroma lighters screening lightshows, etc. We also get additional input from the BeastSaber curation team to supplement expert input.

• What if one of the experts is also nominated in a category?

  With a limited pool of willing, skilled volunteers we are bound to have situations where a mapper may be nominated in the category they are assisting with screening. In these cases, the mapper must abstain from screening their own maps. For example, let’s say the Best Tech Map category gets 20 nominations and mapper “Moespastic” mapped two of them but they’re on the judging team. They can screen the 28 other maps, but they cannot screen their own.

• Can a mapper have more than one map as a nominee in a category?

  No. In a practice that we began 2 years ago, even if a mapper has multiple maps deemed to be “nominee quality” by our screening team, they can only have ONE map represented in the five nominees selected for a category. Likewise, a map can only be a nominee for ONE category in a given section (see the list above for the four sections). So a map can’t be a nominee for both Best Dance Map AND Best Acc Map but could be a nominee for Best Acc Map and Best Ranked Map under 4 Stars, for example.

• What is the timeline for the 2025 awards?

  The eligibility period for maps and individuals is based on the date and time shown on BeatSaver. Hover over the “Uploaded” time to see the full UTC time stamp. Maps must have been released after December 1, 2024 at 00:00 UTC or before November 30, 2025 at 23:59 UTC. Beyond the nomination period, we expect judging to occur in November through December with the awards show planned for February 2026.

• Can I nominate whatever I want for a category?

  The BeastSaber Mapping Awards are, well, mapping awards. This means that the mapping needs to be of the highest quality. At a bare minimum, nominations need to meet objective curation standards, but our judging review panel will be going way beyond what the curation team looks at and turning a critical eye toward timing, emphasis, representation, and much more. Nominations will be screened for major issues as they come in with everything that is nominee quality being intensely reviewed as we determine the five nominees in each category at the end of the year.

• Can I nominate more than one map for a single category?

  Yes, within reason. We know that you might nominate something in September and then a new map comes out in November that you also want to nominate. This is perfectly acceptable as long as multiple nominations don’t get spammy. At the end of the day there can only be five nominees in a given category, so especially if you are nominating late in the year we recommend that you nominate what you think is the BEST map for the category out of all the ones you love.

Have a question that isn’t listed here? Ask us in the BeastSaber Discord server!

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