Valve has not yet announced the Dota 2 Short Film Contest 2026, and it’s looking increasingly likely that this year’s traditional contest may be skipped. With less than three weeks to go before The International 2026 kicks off, the company has still not opened submissions for short films. This is an unusual situation for the community, as in previous years the announcement was made several months before the start of the main tournament.
The short film contest has long been an integral part of The International. It was launched in 2015, inviting Dota 2 fans to create videos up to one minute in length. Every year, creators submitted animated, comedic, and dramatic stories, and the best entries were showcased right on stage at the season’s main tournament. Winners received cash prizes, and Ukrainian creators have been among the winners on multiple occasions.
This year, the situation is different. With the Main Event set to begin on August 20, time is running out, yet Valve has not only failed to announce the start of the submission period but has also made no mention of the Short Film Contest in its official communications.
Valve has also yet to announce the Support Packs for The International 2026. The company has not yet revealed their contents or the release date. The list of talent for the official broadcasts also remains unknown. As a reminder, last year it included the Ukrainian studio Maincast, which received its own unique kits. It is expected that Maincast will once again be part of The International’s broadcast this year.
Dota 2 fans are concerned about Valve’s silence
The lack of any information has already caused concern among fans. On Reddit, users have begun reaching out to Valve with questions about the contest’s status, pointing out that, according to the usual schedule, the submission deadline should have been announced back in July. So far, the company has not responded to these inquiries.
Despite this, it’s still too early to definitively say the contest has been canceled. Valve has not made any official statements regarding the future of the Short Film Contest, so technically, the contest could still be announced. However, as The International approaches, the likelihood of that happening is becoming increasingly slim.
If the contest does not take place, it will mark the first time in ten years that The International will be held without one of its most famous traditions. Over the years, the Short Film Contest has gifted the community with hundreds of memorable entries—from spectacular animations and comedies to emotional stories, many of which have long since become iconic among Dota 2 fans.
Valve’s silence raises new questions
Recently, questions directed at Valve have been popping up more and more frequently in the Dota 2 community. The main one is: why does the company, which is the game’s publisher, give the impression that it is becoming less and less involved in its development? As major esports organizations gradually leave the professional Dota 2 scene, many fans expect Valve to take more active steps to support the discipline. Instead, the company has offered almost no commentary on the future of the game and its ecosystem.
Similar complaints are coming from Counter-Strike 2 fans as well. We previously reported on the controversy surrounding the system for selling stickers for the Major, where the cost of individual items reached over 150,000 tokens—approximately $1,500.
Following a wave of criticism, Valve released an update introducing a new series of IEM Cologne Major ranking stickers featuring a square design and indicating a team’s final tournament placement. At the same time, the company revised its pricing model, acknowledging that the previous dynamic pricing system did not align with the principle of “reasonable value.” As a result, the maximum price of stickers dropped to approximately 6,000 tokens, equivalent to about $60.
However, even after that, the criticism did not subside. Some members of the community believe that Valve’s recent decisions are aimed more at monetizing its own products than at providing long-term support for games and the esports scene. That is why fans are increasingly voicing the opinion that the company’s financial interests currently take precedence over the development of its most popular disciplines.