Minecraft Education Challenge

2025 Battle of the Boroughs will begin soon!!

Information on the 2024-2025 Battle of the Boroughs will be release soon keep coming back to see when Round 1 will begin.

NYCPS Battle of the Boroughs K-12 Scholastic Esports Competition

New York City Public Schools, in partnership with Minecraft Education and C40’s Reinventing Cities initiative, Battle of the Boroughs Minecraft Build Challenge (BOTB) is a scholastic K-12 Esports competition designed to engage all New York City Public Schools students in shaping the future of their city. Building on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the City’s OneNYC 2050 strategic plan, and the Mayor’s Digital Gaming Initiative, student teams will compete to create the most inclusive future-ready city spaces. By participating in this challenge, students will be able to explore the five boroughs, interact with local officials, and learn more about New York City’s improvement plans. Students will develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills in a fun immersive world. Students should refer to New York City Mayor Eric Adam’s message for a glimpse of what this project will look like.

Borough-Based Qualifiers, Citywide Mayor’s Cup & Career to Industry Expo

Qualifying teams compete in borough specific in person competition rounds to determine boroughs champions in each division (elementary, middle school and high school). Borough champions move faceoff at a major NYC arena in the Battle of the Boroughs Mayor’s Cup Final. The borough winners compete for borough bragging rights and are awarded the annual Battle of the Boroughs Mayor’s Cup. 

These events serve as fairs for students and families, featuring playful learning and career-oriented opportunities with NYC colleges, community-based organizations, and industry partners.

Sample Prompts from Prior Years

Below are the Prompts from Prior Battle of the Boroughs Rounds, these can be used to practice creating worlds as a team. All Contests are 30 minute research and then 30 minute builds except the finals which is 45 minutes.

Borough Championship Contest Build Prompts 2024

A build prompt serves as a written directive or challenge for teams during a competitive build challenge.
  • Brooklyn
    • Preliminary K-5 Prompt
      • Create a sustainable learning space along the waterfront where NYC residents can learn about ways to become more involved with solutions for the climate crisis
    • Preliminary 6-12 Prompt
      • Create a sustainable space for businesses and entrepreneurs, especially for people who will help us solve the climate crisis.
    • Semi-Finals Prompt
      • Create sustainable, flood-resilient, and energy-efficient infrastructure for water taxis, e-vehicles, e-bikes, and other sustainable transportation. Also, consider training facilities to get people involved.
  • Bronx
    • Preliminary K-5 Prompt
      • Reinvent the Center so that all residents can easily enjoy the space and establish a good diet where they live. Design ideas for local food production, supplies needed for the food (packaging, transportation, etc), and places for residents to access affordable healthy food.
    • Preliminary 6-12 Prompt
      • Design a community space that promotes inclusivity and provides good, green job opportunities, especially with the surrounding area and the food or community needs supply chain. Consider learning, training, and mentorship to support all community members!
    • Semi-Final Prompt
      • Design a new cultural arts center that serves the community while having a low environmental impact. Include spaces to meet and host activities and how you could create minimal environmental impact in the construction process.
  • Manhattan
    • Preliminary K-5 Prompt
      • Imagine you're a city planner tasked with redesigning a place called SPARC Kips Bay. This place is like a big science park where people study health and nature. Right now, it needs to be made better to stay safe during floods, save energy, and be easy for everyone to visit. Your job is to come up with a design to make SPARC Kips Bay stronger, greener, and easier for everyone to enjoy. Think about how you can make it a cool place for science and health while protecting it from floods and using less energy.
    • Preliminary 6-12 Prompt
      • Imagine you're an environmental engineer tasked with designing a flood-resilient and energy-efficient campus for SPARC Kips Bay, a state-of-the-art science park and research campus in New York City. Your challenge is to create a sustainable and accessible campus that can withstand floods and reduce energy consumption while serving the needs of residents and local communities. Consider innovative solutions such as green infrastructure, renewable energy sources, and resilient building materials. Be creative and think about how your design can benefit both the campus and the surrounding community.
    • Semi-Final Prompt
      • Imagine you're an architect tasked with designing a cutting-edge school focused on public health and state-of-the-art life sciences in Kips Bay, New York City. Your goal is to create a modern educational campus that serves as a pipeline for innovative studies for students. Using your creativity, develop a plan for the school of the future. Consider the layout of classrooms, laboratories, and outdoor spaces to promote hands-on learning and collaboration. Think about incorporating sustainable features such as green roofs, renewable energy sources, and water-saving technologies to make the campus eco-friendly. Design a school that will inspire students to explore the fields of public health and life sciences and prepare them for future careers in these areas. During your share, be sure to explain the benefits of your design for both students and the community.
  • Queens
    • Preliminary K-5 Prompt
      • Build homes in Willets Point for elderly residents that are accessible, energy efficient, and pleasant. Think about their access to nearby amenities such as green spaces, transportation, and community facilities. 
    • Preliminary 6-12 Prompt
      • How would you design this new school in Willets Point to have a low environmental impact? Consider construction materials, energy use, how urban nature is included, and how students travel to school.
    • Semi-Final Prompt
      • Design how people can get to and from the Willets Point soccer stadium. Outside of the professional soccer games, what other uses could be made available to the community? Also, think about how you design the street, ideas for public transportation, and how you can make sure everybody is easily able to access the stadium!
  • Staten Island
    • Preliminary K-5 Prompt
      • Reimagine the waterfront to be better for the environment and also a space for community activities.
    • Preliminary 6-12 Prompt
      • Create a new school in the area that has a low environmental impact. Consider construction materials, energy use, how nature is included, and how students travel to school.
    • Semi-Final 6-12 Prompt
      • Create a zone for civic engagement and activism where future designers can plan sustainably and redesign how travel in the area can be environmentally friendly.
    • Semi-Final K-5 Prompt
      • Create a new school in the area that has a low environmental impact. Consider construction materials, energy use, how nature is included, and how students travel to school.

COMPETITION TIMELINE

Round 1 Submission process

November - March: Student teams create and school staff submit builds responding to the 2025 Minecraft Build Challenge Prompt. DEADLINE for submissions will be announced soon.

March: Student team submissions are reviewed by NYC Public Schools Central Staff according to a specific rubric. Selected teams will be contacted to participate in live events.

Round 2 Borough Qualifying Rounds & Semi-Finals

April - May: Select teams accompanied by their advisors will compete in live, in-person esports Battles in their boroughs. Families and community members are invited to join and support! Borough Championship teams will prevail!

Collage of Sample BotB Competition photos

Round 3 Battle of the Boroughs Mayor’s Cup Finals

June: Borough Champions accompanied by their advisors will compete for the citywide Mayor’s Cup alongside a Video Game Industry Education, Community & Careers Opportunities Expo featuring the chance to engage with industry professionals, community organizations, and other leaders in the NYC Video Game Industry! Families and community members are invited to join and support!

BOTB Finals Photos

Backing up your Minecraft World

You can now save your world to the cloud, so you do not need to host from the same device it was created on. This means that the person hosting the world can share it with others as needed but it will reside in their DOE OneDrive account. It will appear in the APPS --> Minecraft Education Edition folder. Please remember to name the world appropriately to assure that you can recognize it as needed.

Get Started with Minecraft Education

Minecraft: Education is free to all NYC Department of Education students through their DOE student account. Review the Technical Guide for more information on installation and troubleshooting.

Download Minecraft

  1. Download Minecraft: Education for Windows, Mac, iPad, or Chromebook.

    1. If you have a DOE-issued iPad, the Minecraft app should already be on your device.

    2. If you have a school-issued Chromebook (from 2019 or newer), you will need help from your school's technology teacher to download the software. 

  2. Sign in using your NYCDOE student account. You will need to ask your school or teacher if you’re unsure about yours.

Guide to Multiplayer

Minecraft’s multiplayer mode is one of the most popular and effective ways to leverage Minecraft and is a great way to keep students connected with classmates, even when collaborating from home. Working together encourages collaboration, communication, and problem-solving as students work together on projects in a shared Minecraft world. The Education Edition of Minecraft makes multiplayer mode much easier to engage in.

Players can be in different locations on different internet services, but they must all be using the same domain (i.e. DOE’s nycstudents.net or schools.nyc.gov). The teacher can host a world or students can join another player’s world if given the join information. The abilities of players in multiplayer mode can be restricted in settings. You can find a full overview of procedures and restrictions in the Minecraft Education Multiplayer Guide. A school or home’s configuration or firewall settings can cause issues, but the guide does offer troubleshooting support.

For technical questions, email us at [minecraft@schools.nyc.gov]

Guide to Coding

Computer programming is what created Minecraft, but you can do your own coding easily inside Minecraft with incredible results. Whether using slash commands or building with the agent, you can program large sets of blocks to be placed quickly. It’s a much faster way to build a whole city block or subway platform than doing it manually. You can also use the agent to manage processes like farming or water management while you tour your build space.

Whether you have participated in the Hour of Code or you’re new to coding, we’re here to support you. 

  • Press C to call your agent and get started.

  • Choose your coding editor. We recommend MakeCode for beginners.

  • You can select a new project to start your own design or choose one of the many built-in tutorials like build a house, gold stairs, or chicken rain.

  • For more guidance, you can View Library and Choose Subject Kits in the menu to find several built-in computer science and digital citizenship worlds and connected lessons.

  • You can explore the full 200 hours of K-12 Minecraft coding or start with an online training course for teachers.

For Minecraft coding or general computer science education questions, email us at CSeducation@schools.nyc.gov.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN GAMING

Video Games Great Connector Banner

For all grades: FREE Field Trips to “Video Games: The Great Connector” Pop-Up Exhibition

  • Visit for registration and teaching guides! 

Minecraft Writing Challenge Banner

For High School Students: Take the Minecraft Writing Challenge!

  • Four winners will receive $300 cash prizes courtesy of NYVGCC

  • Winners will also be considered for a paid internship at the New York Videogame Critics Circle. At NYGameCritics.com, interns are paid $100-$150 per game review or feature story. The games are provided for free, too!

Visit for submission details

Past Battle of the Borough Events

Battle of the Boroughs 2023-2024

NYCPS Battle of the Boroughs K-12 Scholastic Esports Competition

New York City Public Schools, in partnership with Minecraft Education and C40’s Reinventing Cities initiative, Battle of the Boroughs Minecraft Build Challenge (BOTB) is a scholastic K-12 Esports competition designed to engage all New York City Public Schools students in shaping the future of their city. Building on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the City’s OneNYC 2050 strategic plan, and the Mayor’s Digital Gaming Initiative, student teams will compete to create the most inclusive future-ready city spaces. By participating in this challenge, students will be able to explore the five boroughs, interact with local officials, and learn more about New York City’s improvement plans. Students will develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills in a fun immersive world. Students should refer to New York City Mayor Eric Adam’s message for a glimpse of what this project will look

2024 Minecraft Battle of the Boroughs Video     Minecraft Education eSports

Borough-Based Qualifiers, Citywide Mayor’s Cup & Career to Industry Expo

Qualifying teams compete in borough specific in person competition rounds to determine boroughs champions in each division (elementary, middle school and high school). Borough champions move faceoff at a major NYC arena in the Battle of the Boroughs Mayor’s Cup Final. The borough winners compete for borough bragging rights and are awarded the annual Battle of the Boroughs Mayor’s Cup. 

These events serve as fairs for students and families, featuring playful learning and career-oriented opportunities with NYC colleges, community-based organizations, and industry partners.

2024 Battle of the Borough Mayor’s Cup Division Winners

Elementary Division Winner (TIE)
(03M084) P.S. 084 Lillian Weber Elementary School

Principal: Evelyn Lolis | Teacher/Coach: So Ahn 

(08X100) P.S. 100 Isaac Clason Elementary School
Principal: Ariana Arbolino | Teacher/Coach: Eric Scattaretico

Middle School Division
(01M539) New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School
Principal: Meaghan Lynch | Teacher/Coach: Richard Sullivan 

High School Division
(31R455) Tottenville High School
Principal: Gina Battista | Teacher/Coach: Zachary Rosch

Borough Championship Winners

  • Brooklyn
    • Elementary School
      • School: P.S. 321 William Penn (15K321)
        Team Name: Berthas
    • Middle School 
      • School: I.S. 98 Bay Academy (21K098)
        Team Name: The Redstone Pros
    • High School
      • School: John Dewey High School (21K540)
        Team Name: Blockhampton
  • Bronx
    • Elementary School
      • School: P.S. 100 Isaac Clason (08X100)
        Team Name: The Straw Hat Luffers
    • Middle School 
      • School: P.S./I.S. 218 Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School (09X218)
        Team Name: Bronx Boyz
    • High School
      • School: The Laboratory School of Finance & Technology (07X223)
        Team Name: Cultura Inclusiva 
  • Manhattan
    • Elementary School
      • School: P.S. 084 Lillian Weber (03M084)
        Team Name: The Green Guardians
    • Middle School 
      • School: New Explorations into Science, Technology, and Math High (01M539)
        Team Name: Amateur Hour
    • High School
      • School: Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School (02M139)
        Team Name: Five Stars
  • Queens
    • Elementary School
      • School: PS 239Q (24Q239)
        Team Name: Ridgewood Rattlers
    • Middle School 
      • School: I.S. 125 Thom J. McCann Woodside (24Q125)
        Team Name: Woodside Wolves 
    • High School
      • School: High School for Arts & Business (24Q550)
        Team Name: Bedrock Bulls
  • Staten Island
    • Elementary School
      • School: P.S. 054 Charles W. Leng (31R054)
        Team Name: The Redstonez
    • Middle School 
      • School: IS 49 Berta A. Dreyfus (31R049)
        Team Name: Dreyfus Lions
    • High School
      • School: Tottenville High School (31R455)
        Team Name: STREAM TEAM 2.0
In the News (Video):

In the News (Print Media):

Other Media

2024 Battle of the Boroughs Spotlight PS100X: eSports Final 4K
2024 Battle of the Boroughs Sizzle Reel:  eSports Sizzle Final Prores 16x9

 

Battle of the Boroughs 2022-2023

Video of the Battle of the Borough Finals at the Intrepid

THE 2023 BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS FINALS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED!

JUNE 10th | USS Intrepid

Space is limited. To register for passes Fill out the form .

We’re partnering with Minecraft Education and C40’s Reinventing Cities initiative to guide all K-12 students in creating our future New York. Building on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the City’s 32 goals in PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done, and existing mayoral initiatives students will compete to create the most inclusive future-ready city spaces. Students and teachers across the city can find support below.

Battle of Boroughs Finals Details

The event will include the junior and senior championships as well as notable speakers and gamers, a vendor zone, college and career information, a DJ, and prizes

Date: Saturday, June 10, 2023

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Junior Championships-)(Senior Championships-)

Location: Intrepid Museum

Round 1-3 Support
Student Guide (K-5) | Student Guide (6-12) | Teacher Guide | Flip Guide Download Minecraft Education | Download the NYCDOE Reinventing Cities World

Recorded Webinars: Feb. 14 Webinar | March 4th


THE LIVE ESPORTS COMPETITION & OPPORTUNITIES FAIR!

PRO TIP: Expect awards, prizes, SWAG, and much, much more!

Mayors Cup - Minecraft Battle of the Boroughs