Surrey Schools Minecraft Challenge winners announced

Jonhston Heights' Tanaville winning submission.
From roller coasters to food markets, to waterfalls, Surrey’s parks would look a lot different if the winners of the 2024 Surrey Schools Minecraft Challenge had their say.

The annual challenge tasks student teams with completing a Minecraft build, with this year’s theme being to create the ideal community park.

Submissions were divided into three grade categories, with the following teams crowned the winners:

• Primary (Kindergarten-Grade 3): The Crafters – Surrey Centre Elementary
• Intermediate (Grades 4-7): Terry’s Team – Fraser Wood Elementary
• Secondary (Grades 8-12): TanavVille – Johnston Heights Secondary

With nearly 200 student teams and about 1,300 students participating from 45 different schools, this year’s challenge saw more than double last year’s number of submissions .

“We heard that students found this year’s build more accessible than previous years and many teams ended up spending a lot of time researching their community’s needs and what goes into park design,” said Gareth Poon, challenge founder and district technology helping teacher.

Highlights of this year’s builds included fish-filled lakes, theme park rides, underwater passageways and movie theatres. One park even featured a duck and cookie theme, with monuments, information boards and a “cookie trail” guiding parkgoers through a curated experience.

“There were some really unique ideas,” said Poon. “One build had a bunch of built-in campsites, which would allow residents to get that outdoorsy feel without leaving the city, while others included a roller coaster, which is something we don’t have yet in Surrey.”

This year’s theme also caught the attention of the City of Surrey’s parks department.

“They want to hear what the youth want out of a city park, so we’ll be showing them a few of the winning builds and highlighting any common themes,” said Poon. “Who knows? Some of these ideas may even end up being incorporated into future Surrey parks!”

To learn more about Minecraft Education and its use in Surrey Schools, click here.