Thanks to everyone who entered this year’s competition. Entries have now closed.

The results will be announced in the November issue of INTERFACE on Wednesday 6 November.

It’s on! Get your blocks moving for the INTERFACE Minecraft Student Competition 2024. We’ve teamed up with the Marine Stewardship Council and your challenge is to create a biodiverse and sustainable marine habitat.

We’re challenging you to create and manage a marine habitat – either a natural or artificial environment – in Aotearoa New Zealand. Come up with the design within our guidelines below, construct it in Minecraft, record a short, 3-minute video tour, and submit your entry.

With a focus on Kaitiakitanga – a concept of guardianship, encompassing the processes and practices of protecting and looking after the environment around us – your environment must be biodiverse and sustainable.

Wildlife experts

PLUS, there’s some extra help this year. We’ve teamed up with wildlife experts across the country, who are willing to share their skills and knowledge with you and your students as you design and build your habitats. Check them out at https://interfaceonline.co.nz/meet-the-wildlife-experts/

Entry details

There are three age categories to choose from:

• Primary (Years 1-6);
• Intermediate (Years 7-8); and
• Secondary (Years 9+).

Entries close end of Term 3 (Friday 27 September).  The winners will be announced in our November magazine on 6 November.

How to enter

STEP 1: Talk through the requirements with your student(s). Discuss the different types of habitats, the design and management requirements and how it can be constructed in Minecraft. 

STEP 2: Create the entry in Minecraft and complete the entry form once the competition is open. You will need to write a short explanation of your exhibit and how it meets the requirements, and record a video of their creation (please keep videos to no longer than 3 minutes).

Entries will judged out of 100 points, based on the following criteria:

• Creativity of the habitat design (40 points)
• Effectiveness of the habitat design (30pts)
• Appropriate use of materials (15 points)
• Accuracy and neatness of construction (15 points)

All entries require both teacher and student details – incomplete entries will not be accepted. Please submit one form per entry. Entries can be from individuals or groups (up to four students) and must include all students’ names. You can enter more than once but you must make a separate entry for each.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

Thanks to the Marine Stewardship Council for supporting this year’s INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition.

Big Blue Future New Zealand

Big Blue Future New Zealand is an initiative to build support for sustainable fishing and promote ocean literacy. Learn about ocean literacy with MSC’s Te Kawa O Tangaroa teaching resources – an ocean-centred learning programme focused on solutions to overfishing and how we can keep our ocean teeming with life.

The Five Domains

For some help, advice and inspiration, check out the Five Domains Model, a science-based structure for assessing animal welfare. It provides a best-practice framework to assess welfare in animals of all species and is used by all ZAA-accredited zoos and aquariums to assess animal welfare.

Expert help and advice

Wildlife experts across the country are supporting this year’s competition, and willing to share their skills and knowledge with you and your students as you design and build your habitats. They are:

• National Aquarium of New Zealand
• Hamilton Zoo
• Orana Wildlife Park
• Willowbank Wildlife
• Wellington Zoo
• Auckland Zoo

Entry form closed.

Check out last year’s winning entries at interfaceonline.co.nz/2023/11/09/minecraftwinners2023/

PLEASE NOTE: This competition is open only to students at New Zealand schools and is subject to our terms and conditions (interfaceonline.co.nz/terms-and-conditions/).

DISCLAIMER: We treat all personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act.

INTERFACE June 2024