Support unit students’ vision of Western Sydney Airport wins Minecraft comp

Budding airport designers from McCallums Hill Public School have won a competition to design Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport using Minecraft. 

A team of five year 5 and 6 students from the school’s support unit used the popular digital building blocks game to come up with their vision for Sydney’s new airport, winning $20,000 to be used for STEM learning resources. 

Western Sydney Airport CEO Graham Millett said competition was strong among the 10 finalist teams from across Western Sydney. 

“The competition saw students use Minecraft to tackle the same challenge that the Western Sydney Airport team is working on right now – considering passenger experience, sustainability and accessibility to design the best airport possible,” he said. “Each of the students should be delighted with what they’ve achieved, their designs show creativity and outstanding use of problem-solving skills.” 

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said she was proud of the high standard of the competition and the judges had a difficult decision. “This competition grew out of Liverpool and is reaching all of Western Sydney. We have some of the brightest minds and their ideas for the future are mind blowing,” she said. The competition was co-designed by the NSW Department of Education to align with the curriculum. Students from around 40 schools across Western Sydney took part in this year’s competition. 

The winning design focused on sustainability, customer experience and accessibility. It featured an indoor Great Barrier Reef, solar panels, drought-tolerant trees and automatic cars for people with disabilities. 

Joining Mr Millett on the judging panel was NSW Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott, Western Sydney University Director Master of Teaching (Primary) Dr Katrina Barker and Atlassian Head of People Operations Andi Breslin. 

A total prize pool of $40,000 to be used for STEM learning resources was shared across four winning schools: 

• 1st Prize - $20,000 for STEM learning – McCallums Hill Public School, Roselands • 2nd Prize - $10,000 for STEM learning resources – Christadelphian Heritage College Sydney, Kemps Creek • 3rd Prize - $7,500 for STEM learning resources – Ingleburn Public School, Ingleburn • Encouragement Award - $2,500 for STEM learning resources – Merrylands East Public School, Merrylands East.