Summer Mapping Initiative

The Summer Mapping Initiative is a community based mapping contest for Portal 2, sponsored by thinkingwithportals.com and the Aperture Science Community Outreach Development Department Specializing in Testchamber Design and Course Idea Submission (ASCODDSiTDaCIS). The submissions for the 2011 contest were closed on the 7th June, 2011.

Rules
The maps were judged based on three principles: puzzle complexity, visual appeal and tonal fidelity (50s design, contemporary design, etc.). Contestants were allowed to use only Portal 2-content and the maps had to be related to Portal 2. Both single-player and co-op maps were allowed to be entered. The map had to be in a single .bsp-file, but it could consist of more than one actual chambers. More of the rules, restrictions and frequently asked questions can be viewed in the contest's FAQ-page.

Results
Results were posted on the forums of thinkingwithportals.com on 23rd of June, 2011 and were confirmed on 27th of June 2011 via an official blogpost. The competition received over 280 suggested maps and took 13 judges over 140 hours to play through them. All of the entered maps were listed on the forums on 29th of June 2011 with ratings.

1 Omnicoder also recieved an honorable mention

Prizes
The three best maps were rewarded by Valve with the following Portal 2-related merchandice:
 * Jinx Portal 2 Gear
 * Gels and a Shirt from Think Geek
 * Gear from Glitch
 * "More Shirts than you can wear in a week, enough Posters to wallpaper your cell, and more from Valve".
 * Wheatley Laboratories Glow in the Dark T-shirt and the 70s Portal 2 poster signed by the entire team.