The contest will be broken into four phases:

• Entries for the first phase must be submitted before July 15, 2003. This phase, the smallest of the four, will have fewer categories and smaller prizes. Cash awards ranging from $7,500 to $1,000 will be given for first place winners in the following categories: best mod; best level; best level with original content; best mutator; best model; best voice or audio modification; best tool.
• The second phase of the contest closes on October 20 and includes 13 categories. In this phase, first-person perspective shooter mods will be judged as a separate category, and there will be a $5,000 prize for the best non-interactive real-time movie. [Rules/Prize List]
• Submissions for the third phase of the contest must be in by Feb. 15, 2004. This time the prizes are richer. The winners of the best mod and best FPS mod will each receive $10,000 in cash.
• In the fourth phase, which closes on March 15, Epic, and co-sponsors including NVIDIA, will award top-of-the-line computers to an educational institution involved with winning entrants.

Shoot first, ask questions later. There will only be two categories in the grand finals, best mod and best non-interactive movie. Winners of the best mod category will split a purse that includes $150,000 in cash with $50,000 going to the winner. Best movie makers will split a $50,000 purse.