Create the identities for the 2027 Black Tracks!

Hello everyone,

After a great EWC 2026 season, it’s already time to start looking ahead to 2027!

As we begin preparations for EWC & ENC 2027, we wish to involve the Trackmania community by launching an Identity Creative Contest.

This time, we’re inviting players to create and submit identities for the 20 Black Tracks that will be featured throughout the seasonal campaigns and the EWC and ENC competitions in 2027.

What is a Black Track identity?

Each Black Track will feature a unique obstacle that gives the track its identity and creates a high-stakes moment for the players.

It should be an instantly recognizable feature and theme of the track: something that makes it stand out, challenges players, and creates tension at a key moment of the race.

Your challenge is to imagine and create these signature obstacles for the 2027 Black Tracks! The guidelines below make sure every entry is fair, readable, and ready for high-level play:

Length & Difficulty Balance

Duration: The identity must take 5 to 15 seconds to complete on a clean run.
Difficulty scales inversely with length. A very technical identity should sit near the 5-second end. A more forgiving one can run longer and may repeat its gimmick, as long as each repetition adds something.
Skill ceiling: There must be a visible time gain between a safe run and an optimal one. Top players should be able to separate themselves through execution, not luck.

Consistency & Fairness

No randomness. Nothing should depend on inconsistent physics, such as unreliable bounces, noseboost-style bugs, uncertain wall contacts, or landings that behave differently on identical inputs.
Input-neutral. It must be somewhat equally fair on keyboard and analog controllers or wheels. Avoid sections that only work with one input type.
Respawn-friendly. A checkpoint should be placed so a respawn gives a fair, drivable restart, not a standing start into a speed-dependent trick.
No cuts or skips. Test for shortcuts that bypass the gimmick. Any found must be blocked cleanly, without invisible walls that confuse players or viewers.

Originality

The identity must be creative, new, and fresh. Slightly modifying an existing identity, or repeating a well-known community trick, is not accepted.
Entrants may be asked to briefly explain what makes their concept original.
Using familiar blocks is fine. What matters is that the idea and the way it’s driven are new.

Custom Items

Custom items must not be used excessively. The core gimmick should be buildable mostly with standard blocks.
Any custom items used must have clean, predictable collisions and must not create visual confusion for players or viewers.
Items should not hurt performance (FPS drops, loading issues) on average hardware.

Spectator Experience

Easy to spectate. The action must read clearly from standard spectator cameras. Check especially how it looks in Cam 1, since that’s the default for many casters and viewers.
Avoid sections where the car disappears behind scenery, the camera clips through walls, or sudden direction changes make the camera lose the car.
Difficulty must be visually clear. A viewer who has never driven the map should instantly understand what makes it hard and see when a player nails it or fails it.
Bonus points for identities that create exciting moments, such as close calls, visible commitment points, or clear “make or break” instants.

Adaptability

An easier version must be possible. The identity should scale down into a simpler variant that can be placed elsewhere in a track (for example, a slower or more forgiving version as a mid-map section).
Ideally it can also be mirrored, rotated, or adapted to different speeds so mappers can integrate it into varied layouts.
It should connect naturally to standard road and platform pieces on entry and exit.

Competitive Format Compatibility

The identity must work in standard competitive formats (Time Attack, Rounds, Cup, Knockout).
In multi-player modes, it must stay fair and readable even with several cars on screen, with no sections where ghost cars block the view of the line.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be scored on:

Originality: How new and distinctive is the concept?
Competitive quality: Is it consistent, fair, and does it reward skill?
Spectator value: Is it clear and exciting to watch?
Adaptability: How well can it be reused and scaled in other tracks?
Execution: How polished is the build (clean blocks, good readability, no bugs)?

Entries that break the consistency or randomness rules may be disqualified regardless of other scores.

Submit Your Black Track Identity

Thank you for taking part in the 2027 Black Tracks Identity Contest! Before submitting, please make sure your entry follows the Official Guidelines. Entries that don’t meet the requirements, especially the consistency and randomness rules, may be disqualified.

What you need to submit

Map file (.Map.Gbx): A map containing your identity, with a short run-up before it and a finish after it.
Replay file (.Replay.Gbx): A clean run of your identity driven by you.
Spectator clip: A short video (ideally in Cam 1) showing how the identity looks from a viewer’s perspective. Upload it to YouTube (unlisted is fine), or Streamable, and paste the link.
Description: 2 to 4 sentences explaining your concept, what makes it difficult, and how an easier version could be used elsewhere on a track.
Easier variant (optional): A map file or clip demonstrating a simplified version of your identity.

Important notes

File uploads require you to be signed in to a Google account.
Please name your files clearly, for example: YourNickname_IdentityName.Map.Gbx.
You may submit up to 2 entries. Please fill out the form once per entry: https://forms.gle/8f8qqP6ifnndALxb7
By submitting, you confirm the identity is your own original work.
Deadline: October 22 at 23:59 CEST.. Late entries will not be accepted.

Questions?

Selection Process

In collaboration, EWC and Ubisoft Nadeo will make a first selection of the submitted identities based on the contest guidelines and criteria.

On October 27, tune in for the Black Track Identity Showdown 2027, a special competition where the selected identities will be put to the test – and you’ll get to vote for your favourites.

The winning identities will be used for the 2027 Black Tracks, and their creators will, of course, be credited.

We can’t wait to see what you will create!