The First Windrose Building Contest was a Discord community event held between February 26 and March 16, 2026. Participants submitted base-building creations using the Windrose demo's build system, voted on each other's entries, and winners were announced in multiple categories.
Timeline
Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
February 26, 2026 | Contest announced on Discord with a Steam News crosspost |
February 26 - March 11, 2026 | Submission period |
March 12 - March 14, 2026 | Community voting period |
March 16, 2026 | Winners announced |
Format and Participation
All Discord server members could enter as solo builders or as teams of up to 4 players. Each participant or team submitted one build. The contest closed with over 190 submissions ranging from small survival shacks to sprawling pirate strongholds.
Award Categories
Top 5 Awards. The five highest-voted builds overall
Crew's Choice. Community favorite outside the top 5
Fun Creation Award. Most creative or playful build
Additional category spotlights were used to recognize specific craftsmanship or thematic coherence
Because the contest used a "Top 5 Awards" priority rule and only one prize per sailor, if a player won multiple categories, the secondary prize cascaded to the next eligible entry. This ensured broader prize distribution across the community.
Prizes
Winners received unique Discord roles and social-media features on Kraken Express's official channels. No cash prizes, game keys, or in-game items were awarded. The prize structure emphasized community recognition rather than material reward, which matched the studio's stated goal of highlighting community creativity.
Named Top Entry
One top entry publicly surfaced in community coverage: a collaborative build titled "Arrgh, Old Hand" by a team of four creators (ScottishViking, youwrongs, DorkGirl21, beardedninja). Full winner lists are hosted on the official Discord rather than the Steam news hub.
Studio Transition Context
The Building Contest overlapped with the studio rename from Windrose Crew to Kraken Express. The contest was announced under the Windrose Crew name; the April 14 Early Access launch post formally announced the rename.
See Also
Kraken Express — the studio that ran the contest
Base Building — the system the contest showcased
Early Access — the release that followed