5 Layers. 5 Winners. 500K UPX in Prizes.

July 21, 2026

5 Layers. 5 Winners. 500K UPX in Prizes.

Until now, a driveway was just a driveway. A patio was a patio. Your map assets sat side by side, sharing the same ground on one flat level.

Not anymore.

You can now place map assets on top of other map assets. Cars can sit in driveways. Furniture can rest on patios. Pieces can stack, layer, and combine in ways that were impossible last season. Your property just gained a whole new dimension, and this challenge is about showing us what you can do with it.

Welcome to the 5 Layers Challenge.

The last two Decor Challenges were about doing more with less. Frost 5 limited builders to five map assets. The Blossom Garden Decor Challenge paired five plants with five supporting assets. This time, we are building up.

The Challenge

Create one property scene built around 5 layered combos.

A layered combo is one map asset placed on top of another map asset. A car parked in a driveway. A grill sitting on a deck. Planters lined up on a porch. Items arranged across a garden bed. Your five combos are the stars of the build. Everything else is there to frame them.

This is not about who owns the most. It is about who sees the property in three dimensions instead of two. When you can stack and layer, composition changes completely. Depth, foreground, focal points, and the sense that a place is actually lived in all become part of the build.

What Counts as a Layer

A layered combo is one map asset placed on top of another map asset. Simple as that.

Think:

  • A car in a driveway
  • A grill or furniture on a deck or patio
  • Planters or decor on a porch
  • Items placed across grass, garden beds, or plants
  • Anything you can now stack that you could not stack before

If two assets are simply sitting next to each other on the ground, that is not a layer. A layer is when one asset sits on another. Five of those layered combos are the heart of your build.

The Rules

  • Use one property you own in Upland.
  • The property must include one structure.
  • Your build must feature 5 layered combos, with one map asset placed on top of another.
  • You may use up to 5 supporting map assets to frame the scene. Fewer is fine. More than five is not.
  • No other ornaments, decorations, or extra placed items are allowed beyond your 5 layered combos and up to 5 supporting map assets.
  • Entries will be judged primarily in POV Mode.
  • Your build should feel intentional, layered, and alive at street level.

How to Enter

Entries open Tuesday, July 21 at 9 AM PT and close Friday, July 24 at 9 AM PT.

To enter, share your build publicly on X:

  • Tag @UplandMe on X
  • Use the hashtag #5LayersChallenge
  • Include at least 3 screenshots
  • Include at least one image that clearly shows your 5 layered combos
  • Include at least one POV Mode screenshot
  • Include your property address or property link
  • Tell us what your 5 layered combos are
  • Add a short caption explaining the story behind your build

Your five layered combos must be clearly visible in your screenshots. Show the layers from angles that make it easy to understand how the assets have been combined. If your entry is not posted publicly on X with the required hashtag, it will not be eligible.

Above is an example of the images you should include. Show the layers clearly, use multiple angles, and include the finished scene in POV Mode.

Why Layers?

Because a new dimension changes everything.

For the last two challenges, creativity meant restraint. Use fewer pieces. Make every placement count. That lesson still holds, but now there is a second creative tool, and it rewards a different kind of vision.

Anyone can spread assets across the ground. It takes real intention to build up, to make a driveway feel used, a porch feel lived in, or a garden feel layered and full of life.

Every combo has a job. Every layer adds depth. The properties that win will be the ones that make you forget this was flat ground before.

Judging

All eligible entries will be reviewed by the Upland Team. We will be looking at:

  • How well your 5 layered combos anchor the scene
  • Creative use of the new layering ability
  • Composition, depth, and use of space
  • Visual storytelling
  • Originality
  • How the property feels in POV Mode

Top-down screenshots can help show the layout, but POV Mode is where the challenge will be judged. This is about the street-level experience, the kind of build that makes another player stop, look around, and want to visit.

Prizes

5 layers. 5 winners. Clean and simple.

  • 1st Place: 200,000 UPX
  • 2nd Place: 125,000 UPX
  • 3rd Place: 75,000 UPX
  • 4th Place: 50,000 UPX
  • 5th Place: 50,000 UPX

Note: Because this is a special-format challenge, there will be no Model Home badge awarded this season.

Show Us a New Dimension

The last two Decor Challenges proved that limits create art. Now we are handing you something new to build with. The ground is no longer the only level. Your property has depth, and it is waiting for you to use it.

Layer it. Stack it. Build a scene that feels alive from the street.

Tag @UplandMe on X, use #5LayersChallenge, and submit your entry before Friday, July 24 at 9 AM PT.

We cannot wait to see what you build on top of.