National STEM Video Game Challenge Announces Winners of 2017 Competition

New York, July 31, 2017 –The National STEM Video Game Challenge announced today the winners of the 2017 competition. This year’s winners include 23 middle school and high school students who submitted their original video games and game design concepts in platforms including GameMaker, Gamestar Mechanic, Scratch, and Unity.

Presented by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media, with founding sponsor the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the STEM Challenge was launched in 2010 as part of the White House’s Educate to Innovate Campaign. The Challenge was designed to motivate interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among youth by transforming their natural passion for playing video games into designing and creating their own games. This year, Games for Change sponsored a special prize for games designed to help people to learn, improve their communities, and contribute to making the world a better place. The winners of the 2017 STEM Challenge and the 2017 National Games for Change Student Challenge were also recognized at the Games for Change Festival in New York City.

Over the course of six competition cycles, students have designed and submitted nearly 20,000 original games and game design documents. “Not only are this year’s student winners among the most diverse, the games that they are making include characters who look like them and reflect the diversity of the people who enjoy playing games,” said Mark German, president, E-Line Education.

Each winner receives a cash prize of $1,000, a lifetime premium consumer subscription to Gamestar Mechanic, and the opportunity for a consultation with a game industry professional for advice on the advancement of his/her interest and skills development in design, engineering, or game making.

Middle School (5th-8th grade) Winners
Name	Location	Title	Category
Kyle Roke	Foxboro, Massachusetts	Artificial	Gamestar Mechanic
Saida Woolf	Tehachapi, California	Twisted Petal	Open Platform
Lucas Armand	Malvern, Pennsylvania	Mainframe	Open Platform Team
Shrey Pandya	Exton, Pennsylvania	Mainframe	Open Platform Team
Zoe Plunkett	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	The Digestive System	Scratch
Sam Raymond	Midlothian, Virginia	The Trappist Incident	Unity
Himani Chonkar	Waukesha, Wisconsin	STEM Obstacle Course	Written Game Design Document
Ruth Elahi	Vineland, New Jersey	The Hunger Game	Games for Change
Hannah Tamagni	Vineland, New Jersey	The Hunger Game	Games for Change
Liakadja Whitesell	Vineland, New Jersey	The Hunger Game	Games for Change
High School (9th-12th grade) Winners
Name	Location	Title	Category
Connor Shugg	Apex, North Carolina	The Calculus Test	GameMaker
Mason Felton	Ripon, Wisconsin	Extinction	Gamestar Mechanic
Jude Morey	Beech Grove, Indiana	Keeper	Open Platform
Owen Cain	Washington, DC	Intervene	Open Platform Team
Doanna Nguyen	Washington, DC	Intervene	Open Platform Team
Gabriel Stevanus	Washington, DC	Intervene	Open Platform Team
Tochi Ukegbu	Washington, DC	Intervene	Open Platform Team
John Korhel	Parker, Colorado	The Pyramid	Open Platform Team
Alex Lawrence	Parker, Colorado	The Pyramid	Open Platform Team
John Ripple	Parker, Colorado	The Pyramid	Open Platform Team
Geneva Heyward	Corona, New York	Green Hero	Unity
James Nguyen	Portland, Oregon	Ultra Fishing	Written Game Design Document
Pranav Patil	San Diego, California	Cyber Champion	Games for Change

 

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop investigates the potential of digital media to help children learn, and collaborates with educators, media producers, policymakers and investors to put this research into action. An independent nonprofit organization, the Center addresses issues of digital equity and aims to strengthen connections between formal and informal learning environments. Learn more at joanganzcooneycenter.org.

E-Line Media is a publisher of game-based learning products and services that engage, educate and empower, helping to prepare youth for lives and careers in the 21st century. E-Line works with leading foundations, academics, non-profits and government agencies to harness the power of games for learning, health and social impact. Find out more at elinemedia.com.

###