By Vanessa Davis-Frederick 4/20/2026
The final stage of the Jax Build Challenge (known as the Mayor’s Cup) represented the culmination of months of creativity, innovation, and civic-minded design by students across Jacksonville. Held on April 17, 2026, at the WJCT Soundstage, this live, esports-style event brought together the top eight teams, two from each grade division, to compete in front of city leaders, educators, and community experts.
The journey to the final cup began with a virtual semifinal round, where students use Minecraft Education to design solutions to address real-world challenges in Jacksonville. The 2026 theme focused on local agriculture, food systems, and economic development. This encouraged participants to rethink how food is grown, distributed, and accessed in a rapidly expanding city. These early designs were judged on creativity, sustainability, and community impact, narrowing the field to a select group of finalists.
What makes the Mayor’s Cup unique is its shift from pre-recorded submissions to a live, high-energy competition. Finalists were given new prompts tailored to their grade level and had to adapt quickly, demonstrating not only technical building skills but also teamwork, critical thinking, and presentation abilities. This format mirrors professional design challenges, where innovation often happens under time constraints and public scrutiny.
Championed by local agricultural activist Ashantae Green, this project is set to create future leaders from all walks of life. Ashantae is a sustainability leader, cultural conservationist, and creative project strategist for the southeast US. Event sponsors for this competition were Minecraft Education, C40 Cities, Duval County Public Schools, and the DuBlasé Foundation. Darrin Eakins has spent two years helping to push this important work forward in the community with the DuBlase Foundation.
Beyond the builds themselves, the Mayor’s Cup highlights the importance of STEM education and civic involvement. By blending gaming with urban planning, the challenge introduced students to career pathways in architecture, environmental science, and public policy. It also fostered a sense of ownership over their community, empowering young people to see themselves as future leaders and problem-solvers.
Ultimately, the Mayor’s Cup serves as a powerful example of how education, technology, and civic engagement can intersect. By giving students a platform to design Jacksonville’s future, the Jax Build Challenge transforms learning into action, one block at a time.This is a paragraph. Click edit and enter your own text. You can make changes like making the text bold, underline or italic. This is a great place for you to tell your clients more about your story and to describe the type of photographer you are. You can come back at any time to make more changes.
PHOTOS: MINDCRAFT PHOTOS
