eventscommunityACNH

ACNH Event Template: Host a Zelda-Themed Island Tour with Leaderboards and Rewards

UUnknown

2026-02-17

12 min read

Blueprint for running a Zelda-themed ACNH island tour with clear rules, automated leaderboards, and sponsor-friendly rewards.

Hook: Turn island fatigue into hype — host a Zelda-themed ACNH island tour that actually runs smoothly

Struggling to get players to show up, confused rule threads, and reward logistics that fall apart after the first week? You're not alone. Community organizers in 2026 face higher expectations: players want clear submission rules, transparent leaderboards, and rewards that feel meaningful — in-game or from sponsors — without running into Nintendo's online policies. This step-by-step blueprint gives you a ready-to-run ACNH event template: a Zelda-themed island tour with submission rules, scoreboard mechanics, verification steps, and sponsor reward workflows that scale from small Discord communities to large multi-server festivals.

The big picture — why a Zelda-themed island tour works in 2026

Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains a go-to community platform. The 3.0 update and early 2026 drops (including Zelda-themed Amiibo items and the renewed fan interest from the new Lego Zelda sets) make this the perfect moment to run a themed tour. Fans want nostalgia (Zelda), collectible showpieces (Amiibo-locked items), and social play. A themed event that couples creativity with competitive structure drives participation and retention — especially when paired with leaderboards and a loyalty rewards model. If you plan to publicize the event around a game update, consider the guidance in Make Your Update Guide Clickable to optimize titles and thumbnails for higher clickthrough.

Event goals (choose two primary goals)

Community growth: attract new members and reward returning participants.
Engagement: boost active sessions, streams, and UGC (user-generated content).
Monetizable sponsorships: secure physical prizes or coupon codes from partners like indie game shops or Lego retailers.

Quick-start blueprint: 7 phases to a polished Zelda island tour

Follow these seven phases in order. You can run a mini event in 2 weeks or a full season in 6+ weeks.

Plan — define theme, goals, length, categories, prize pool.
Build rules & scoring — publish concise submission rules and judging rubric.
Promote & register — open sign-ups, partner with sponsors, announce channels.
Collect submissions — Google Form + image uploads + Dodo code safe handling.
Judge & verify — community voting + judge panel + anti-cheat checks.
Publish leaderboard — automated Sheets + Discord bot updates.
Reward & follow-up — distribute prizes and record loyalty points.

Phase 1 — Planning: pick your Zelda angle and rules framework

There are many Zelda subthemes you can choose. Pick one that matches your community and sponsors.

Classic Hylian Village: cozy town builds inspired by Ocarina/Breath of the Wild.
Dungeon Run: puzzle paths with traps and challenge rooms.
Master Sword Showcase: photo-op islands centered on sword shrines and relic displays.
NPC Cosplay Parade: villagers and player outfits modeled after Zelda characters (use Amiibo items where applicable).

Decide on scope: single island tour (one submission per player) or multi-stage (qualifiers, semis, finals). For first runs, pick a 2-week window: 1 week for submissions + 1 week for judging/announcing.

Phase 2 — Submission rules (must be crystal-clear)

Ambiguity kills turnout. Your rule page should be one scrollable section with essential points first.

Core submission items (template)

Player name (Discord handle), island name, and slot for friend code / Dodo logistics.
Category (e.g., Dungeon Run, Shrine Tour, Cosplay Parade).
Submission media: up to 6 images (3000px max) + a 60–90 second video walkthrough (optional but recommended).
One-sentence theme summary and a short build explanation (max 200 words).
Required metadata: date/time of tour, platform (Switch user ID optional), and whether Amiibo items were used.

Rules to prevent confusion and abuse

Dodo privacy policy: never post active Dodo codes publicly; schedule visits through DMs or mod-arranged sessions.
No paid access: clarify that entry is free — sponsorship prizes are allowed, but charging for Dodo access violates both community standards and Nintendo terms.
Original builds: submissions must be primarily built or customized by the entrant (copying from creators is allowed with citation but gets lower creativity score).
Use of Zelda items: permitted and encouraged; note that some items require Amiibo in 2026 (e.g., specific Zelda furniture from the 3.0 update) — entrants should disclose if Amiibo items are used.
Age & consent: entrants under 18 need parental consent per your community policy.

Tip: Publish the full rule set as a single pinned message in Discord and a static Google Drive PDF so judges and entrants can always find the same authoritative version.

Phase 3 — Scoring rubric & leaderboard mechanics

Scoring should be transparent, repeatable, and easy to compute. Use a hybrid judge + community vote model to balance popularity bias.

Sample scoring rubric (out of 100)

Theme accuracy (25 pts) — how closely the island reflects the Zelda subtheme.
Creativity & originality (25 pts) — clever uses of items, mechanics, and storytelling.
Design execution (20 pts) — layout, flow, and visual polish.
Interactive elements (15 pts) — puzzles, NPC setups, events on the island.
Community vote (15 pts) — normalized to prevent vote brigading.

Leaderboard mechanics

Use a weighted combined score where judge average = 85% and community vote = 15%. Example formula:

Final Score = (JudgeAvg / 100) * 85 + (NormalizedCommunityVote / 100) * 15

Implement leaderboards in Google Sheets to automatically compute Final Score and rank participants. Connect Sheets to a Discord bot (e.g., MEE6, Zapier/IFTTT bridge, or a custom bot) to post daily or hourly leaderboard updates.

Tie-breakers and penalties

First tie-breaker: judge craftsmanship subscore.
Second tie-breaker: earliest submission timestamp.
Penalty examples: -10 pts for discovered plagiarism; -5 pts for missing metadata or late submissions.

Phase 4 — Submission system: Google Form + verification pipeline

Set up a single Google Form for entries. Require image uploads via Google Drive link to preserve EXIF timestamps for verification (if available). For communities that prefer privacy, use a secure upload channel in your Discord server where mods collect and attach files to the form entry.

Google Form fields (recommended)

Discord handle (required)
In-game player name & island name
Category selection
Short description (200 words max)
Image upload link (Google Drive or Imgur link)
Video walkthrough link (YouTube unlisted or Discord upload)
Consent checkbox (age & privacy)
Dodo scheduling preference (optional)

Automate: use Google Sheets triggers (Apps Script) to create a unique submission ID for each entry and populate a judge dashboard. Add a timestamp to every row and a column for verification status. If your event grows beyond hobby scale, consider how cloud automation and pipelines scale — see a cloud pipelines case study for ideas about automating workflows at scale.

Phase 5 — Judges, community voting, and anti-cheat checks

Recruit 3–5 judges: mix of community veterans, builders, and a sponsor representative if applicable. Judges should use the same rubric and fill a judge scoring form per submission. Collect judge comments for feedback and content for announcement posts.

Community voting best practices (2026)

Run community voting on a time-limited poll (48–72 hours).
Normalize votes: convert raw votes into a 0–100 scale to reduce the power of high-traffic voters.
Use unique voter verification (Discord ID) to prevent duplicates.

Anti-cheat and verification

Require at least one timestamped image or short video showing active play date.
Cross-check build originality: a quick reverse-image search detects copied content from creators. For automated detection tactics and ML warning signs, see research on ML patterns that expose fraudulent behaviour.
Flagging system: allow community members to report suspicious submissions to mods anonymously.

Phase 6 — Leaderboard automation (templates and formulas)

Keep the leaderboard updated using these 2026-friendly tools: Google Sheets + Apps Script + Discord Webhook or a small JavaScript/TypeScript bot running on Replit/Vercel. For stream and live-update reliability, review edge orchestration approaches for live streaming platforms.

Essential leaderboard sheet columns

Submission ID
Player Discord
Category
Judge1, Judge2, Judge3 (scores)
JudgeAvg (formula = AVERAGE of judge scores)
CommunityVote (raw)
NormalizedCommunityVote (formula: =CommunityVote/MAX(CommunityVoteRange)*100)
FinalScore (formula from rubric)
Rank (formula = RANK(FinalScore, FinalScoreColumn))
Verification status / notes

Apps Script hook: on form submit, re-calc scores and POST a JSON summary to your Discord webhook. That gives real-time visibility without manual posting. If you expect to scale beyond a hobby project, read a cloud pipelines case study to understand how to safely automate and monitor these hooks.

Design rewards that feel valuable and fit your budget. Use a mix of in-game rewards and physical sponsor prizes.

In-game reward ideas

Exclusive custom designs (download codes) shared via DM.
Seasonal island badges: small PNG badges or Discord roles that show on profiles.
Nook Shopping vouchers — third-party sellers can provide redeemable codes for physical merch.
In-community VIP island tours or builder mentorship sessions.

Sponsors in 2026 are more willing to provide retail items (e.g., the Lego Zelda Ocarina of Time set), digital codes, or gift cards. Create a sponsor packet that includes brand placement options (event banner, Discord role, judge seat) and clear deliverables. For managing sponsor commerce and micro-subscriptions (coupon codes, sponsor perks), tag-driven commerce patterns are useful.

Sign a simple sponsorship agreement (deliverables, prize fulfillment timeline, privacy responsibilities).
Collect sponsor shipping details securely — do not store credit card info unless your organization is PCI compliant.
Assign a prize fulfillment owner (community admin) and a tracking spreadsheet.
Announce sponsored prizes before sign-ups to increase conversions.

Loyalty & rewards program (long-term retention)

Turn events into seasons. Award points for every entry, attendance at tours, judging, and volunteering. Points convert into tiers and unlock rewards.

Bronze (0–99 pts): custom forum badge.
Silver (100–249 pts): early event sign-up access + small in-game reward pack.
Gold (250+ pts): eligibility for sponsor giveaway draws and a private island tour with a featured builder.

2026 trend: cross-platform loyalty. Grant small perks visible on Twitch panels and Discord that persist across seasons to increase lifetime engagement.

Legal, safety, and Nintendo policy considerations

Fan events are generally allowed, but be mindful of commerce and IP usage:

No paid access to gameplay: do not charge entrants for Dodo access or playtime; charging entry fees for tournaments can be legally risky and contravenes platform terms.
IP usage: fan themes and cosplays are fine; avoid selling Zelda-branded merchandise unless you have rights or sell strictly unbranded fan art under allowed derivative rules.
Privacy: handle personal data (shipping addresses, consent forms) under GDPR/CCPA-like principles; delete data after prize fulfillment.
Age verification: for minors, obtain parental consent and avoid sharing their personal info publicly.

Templates: judge rubric, Google Form fields, Discord announcement

Use these bite-sized templates you can copy into your server.

Judge scoring quick form

Submission ID
Judge name
Theme accuracy (0–25)
Creativity (0–25)
Design execution (0–20)
Interactive elements (0–15)
Comments (optional)

Google Form essential fields (copy-paste)

Discord handle (required)
ACNH player name & island
Category & theme selection
Upload image link
Upload video link
Consent checkbox

Discord announcement template (short)

"Hyrule Calls! Our Zelda Island Tour is live from DATE–DATE. Submit your island with the Google Form (pinned). Open to all skill levels. Judges: 3–5. Sponsored prizes include [SponsorName]'s LEGO OOT set and in-game prize packs. Full rules: [link]."

Event timeline (example 2-week timeline)

Day 0: Announcement & sponsor reveal
Days 1–7: Submissions open
Day 8: Submission close + verification begins
Days 9–12: Judging & community voting
Day 13: Final leaderboard published
Day 14: Winners announced & prizes distributed

Advanced strategies for scale (2026)

If you're running a larger festival or cross-server event, adopt these 2026-savvy tactics:

Discord shard coordination: host regional qualifiers and merge winners into a global leaderboard.
Stream integration: partner with Twitch or YouTube creators to host live tours; use stream timestamps to verify walkthroughs. For streaming reliability and security at scale, review edge orchestration approaches.
Leaderboard bots: lightweight Node.js bots that fetch Google Sheets via API and post updates with embed images.
Sponsor co-branded content: have sponsors create a challenge (e.g., "Best Deku Tree Shrine") and provide exclusive codes for winners.

Case study: Small community to regional scale in one season

In late 2025, a community of 800 Discord members ran a Zelda island tour. They used a 2-week sprint, Google Forms, and a 4-person judge panel. Community voting captured 400 votes; judge averaging reduced popularity bias. The event secured a small sponsor: a regional board game store that provided a $120 Lego set and three gift cards. Key outcomes:

Participation rate increased by 45% vs. previous themed event.
Retention improved: 30% of new sign-ups stayed for subsequent events.
Sponsor conversion: store saw a 12% uplift in coupon redemptions.

Why it worked: clear rules, fast turnaround, and sponsor transparency. Judges' feedback was published verbatim, giving entrants actionable next steps.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Pitfall: Vague rules → Fix: single-page rules + FAQ and a rule-change freeze 48 hours before submissions close.
Pitfall: Prize fulfillment chaos → Fix: assign a prize manager and use a fulfillment tracker with deadlines.
Pitfall: Vote brigading → Fix: normalized community scoring + unique voter verification.
Pitfall: Judges disagreeing wildly → Fix: host a judge calibration session with sample submissions.

Actionable takeaways — launch checklist

Pick a precise subtheme and publish it publicly.
Create and pin a single rule document and Google Form (with required fields).
Recruit 3–5 judges and run a short calibration session.
Set up Google Sheets leaderboard with automated scoring formulas and a Discord webhook.
Confirm sponsor prize delivery and sign a short sponsorship agreement.
Announce timeline, open submissions, and enforce the verification process.

Final notes: Why this works in 2026

Players now expect professional event experiences even from fan communities: transparent judging, regular leaderboard updates, and meaningful rewards. Thanks to Nintendo's continued content refreshes (like 3.0 Zelda Amiibo items) and cross-brand momentum from licensed sets (Lego's Zelda releases in 2026), themed events tap into a broad nostalgia and collector audience. Organizers who adopt automation, clear rules, and sponsor-friendly workflows (including tag-driven commerce for sponsor codes and perks) will see higher turnout, better retention, and an elevated community brand.

Call to action

Ready to run your Zelda island tour? Use this template as your starting point: publish your rule sheet, set up a Google Form, and recruit judges today. Want the editable templates for the judge form, Google Sheet formulas, and Discord announcement text? Join our organizer channel on Discord or sign up for our event toolkit newsletter to get downloadable templates and a free 30-minute planning consult with a community events strategist.

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