Calling all gamers! The New York City Department of Education (DOE) has announced the 2026 New York City Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs K-12 Scholastic Esports Competition, where student teams compete to create “inclusive, future-ready city spaces” using Minecraft.
The Battle of the Boroughs competition challenges students to explore the five boroughs, interact with local officials, and contribute to New York City’s improvement plans. Teams compete in borough-specific rounds, with champions advancing to the Mayor’s Cup Final, which will be held at the second annual New York City Video Game Festival in the spring. This year, the challenge is to reimagine Pier 6 at the MADE Bush Terminal Campus in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a project that is undergoing a real-life transformation as well.
The deadline for round 1 submissions is January 16, 2026.
For more information about the competition, click here.
This program joins the DOE’s STEM education programs, which incorporate arts, history, and literacy across all grade levels. Students engage with diverse subjects including computer science, robotics, sustainability, environmental studies, urban transportation, and urban farming. These programs help students discover connections between different disciplines while solving real-world problems through the engineering-design process.
For more information, please visit the DOE’s STEM education website here.
For inspiration, check out last year’s winners:
PS 889 in Brooklyn (Elementary School Winner)
Nest+M in Manhattan (Middle School Winner)
World Journalist Prep in Queens (High School Winner)
Good luck players!
