2026 “Battle of The Boroughs” E-Sports Competition

Photo by MOME/Made in NY

Digital Gaming Competition Encourages Students to Design More Sustainable, Future-Ready New York City

Competition Comes as New York City’s Digital Gaming Industry Continues to Grow, Creating Thousands of Jobs and Generating Billions of Dollars in Economic Impact

The first round of the sixth annual New York City Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Competition (BOTB) was lauched today. Through BOTB, K-12 students compete to build a more inclusive, sustainable, future-ready New York City in Minecraft while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Submissions for student teams are open now and close on January 16, 2026. Information on how to join the challenge, as well as entry-level training courses for educators to bring digital gaming into their classrooms, is available on the New York City Public Schools website.

BOTB is a scholastic digital gaming competition in which elementary, middle, and high school students compete to design future-ready city spaces. Through the competition, students explore the five boroughs, learn more about New York City’s sustainability plans, and develop valuable computer science and critical thinking skills.