Our Shakescraft competition closed in November 2015, and with over 180 entries received from at home and abroad, the judges were faced with the difficult task of choosing the winners!
The Winners
Under 11’s: Beatrice Baldwin, age 11, Alcester
12 – 16 year olds: Xanthe Priest, age 12, Stratford-upon-Avon
Over 16's: Patrick Eves, age 20, Stratford-upon-Avon
Each of our winners received a prize package of Shakespeare and Minecraft goodies worth £400, including an iPad Air 2 courtesy of New Place contractors, Splitlath Building Conservation Ltd.
Judging Panel
Lead Judge,
Design Professor Chris Wise
Designer of the re-imagined Shakespeare's New Place
'The standard of design of the entrants was exceptional. It was clear that people had spent a lot of time developing their ideas of how New Place may have appeared in Shakespeare’s time or could look in modern times. Some were very traditional made from wood and brick, others had more modern facilities. The youngest entrant was just five years old and he designed a beautifully simple but comfortable looking home. They were all excellent and it was really hard job to choose the winners. In the end we went with entrants who had not only followed the footprint exactly but had given the appropriate importance to each element of the house. The winners had also included gardens, details of the living areas, Shakespeare quotes in the rooms, a windmill for a power source, just lots and lots of detail. They were a joy to look at and we had great fun going through them all.'
Julie
Crawshaw
New Place Project Manager
'We knew Minecraft would be a brilliant accessible tool to get people of all ages to creatively engage and learn about Shakespeare's New Place. Entrants were invited to design their own virtual New Place, following the original footprint of the building which we know recent archaeological discoveries. We were delighted to see so many people enter, ranging from age 5 to 45, from as far as the USA and Serbia to Hull, Nottingham and Glamorgan; each and every one of them engaging with Shakespeare and his life at New Place to create some truly remarkable designs. They should be immensely proud.'
Competition Brief
We challenged school children and grown-up gamers alike to get creative and imagine what Shakespeare’s final home may have looked like using the online building game Minecraft.
Budding digital architects from all over the world can used their imaginations to digitally design New Place, the grand family home in Stratford-upon-Avon where William Shakespeare and his family lived for 19 years. We provided the blueprints, and the rest was left to the entrant's imaginations.
Shakescraft
was free to enter, and open to three different age categories;
under
11’s
12 – 16 year
olds
over 16’s