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Let me spill the tea: I have been digging through the Equalizing Test Fan Art Contest details, and even though the original run happened from November 2023 into early 2024, it is still a rock-solid blueprint for how Zenless Zone Zero creative contests operate in 2026. If HoYoverse brings back something similar, or if you just want the full breakdown as a Proxy, I have got you covered.

What Was Up for Grabs

The prize pool was no joke. The Outstanding Creator tier had 20 winners in total, and the loot ranged from a Steam Deck 64GB for one grand-prize winner to mechanical keyboards, gaming mice, and official ZZZ merch.

Prize Item Winners
Outstanding Creator Steam Deck 64GB 1
Outstanding Creator Logitech K835 Mechanical Keyboard 3
Outstanding Creator Razer DeathAdder Essential 6
Outstanding Creator Zenless Zone Zero merch bundle 10
Lucky Creator Equalizing Test Qualification 50

The merch bundle was pretty sweet: a 24-slot Switch game cartridge holder, a Bangboo wrist protector mouse pad, and an acrylic fridge magnet collection featuring City NPCs. But honestly, the Lucky Creator prize was the real showstopper for anyone trying to get into the test early.

Timeline and the Phase 1 Trick

The submission period was split into two phases.

  • Phase 1: 2023/11/4 – 2023/11/8 12:00 UTC+8

  • Phase 2: 2023/11/8 12:01 – 2023/12/24 23:59 UTC+8

Here is the kicker: only Phase 1 submissions were eligible for the Lucky Creator draw for Equalizing Test Qualifications. If you showed up during Phase 2, you could still chase Outstanding Creator prizes, but you missed the test-access lottery. Lucky Creator winners were announced on 2023/11/9, while Outstanding Creator announcements started rolling out from 2024/1/15.

How You Actually Entered

There were two main ways to get in on the action.

  1. Social media route: Share your fan art on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtags #zzzero and #CreateForNewEridu. Your account and post had to be public during the event, then you filled out the official submission form.

  2. Event page route: Use the Post Image button on the event page to upload your work directly.

No matter which method you chose, you needed a working sketch. They were not messing around with that requirement.

Submission Quality Check

This is where a lot of Proxies tripped up. The rules called for original fan art related to the Zenless Zone Zero IP, created within the last month. Multiple submissions were allowed, but every piece had to show a high degree of completion.

  • No unfinished sketches

  • No works directly edited with graphic design tools like Photoshop

  • No copied elements pieced together

  • Include a working sketch in your submission or post

  • Do not submit identical works to other creative contests

Double-dipping into another contest could wreck your eligibility, so keep your entry exclusive.

Selection Rules and Fine Print

A Proxy could win both an Outstanding Creator Prize and a Lucky Creator Prize, but the cap was two rewards max. Each specific prize could only be won once per Proxy. If a winner got disqualified for breaking a rule, another eligible submission would be selected. If submissions were too few or too low quality, some prizes could remain unawarded.

The contest was also pooled across all platforms. That means no separate prize buckets by region or social site, so the competition was global.

A few other fine-print items that could trip you up:

  • Do not post unrelated content, ads, or promotional links.

  • If the same submission won on multiple platforms, only the initial platform counted, and one reward would be issued.

  • Plagiarism, misappropriation, and copyright infringement were strictly prohibited.

  • Delivery information could not be changed after submission, so a wrong address meant no compensation.

  • Test Qualification winners had to complete the sign-up survey before the private-message deadline, or they forfeited the reward.

  • Each HoYoverse Account could only get one Test Qualification across all related events.

Ownership Rights

This part is important if you care about what happens to your art. By submitting a valid entry, you granted the Organizer non-exclusive, global, free, permanent, irrevocable, transferable, and sublicensable rights to the work. That covered stuff like official website features, social media posts, and offline exhibitions. On the flip side, you could not use or grant third-party commercial use of your submission during or after the event without written consent from the Organizer.

Final Blurb

At the end of the day, if you want to survive a ZZZ fan art contest in 2026, keep these rules in your back pocket: create original, finished work, document your process with a working sketch, post publicly with the right tags, fill out the form, and do not double-commit your piece to other contests. The specific loot may change, but the hoops you jump through will likely feel very familiar. Good luck out there, Proxy.