Bentley Systems has announced a new student contest that will see participants reimagining a real-world location with a structure designed in Minecraft.
The company believes digital twin technology is set to be the next powerful tool for future engineers, and has launched the contest as a unique opportunity for students to explore it in a creative way.
Through the Digital Twin Design Challenge, students have the chance to combine their imagination and creativity by exploring infrastructure digital twins.
Students will use Minecraft to take a real-world location and design a new structure within it. In addition to gaining recognition from Bentley Education, the top 20 finalists will receive USD 500 each. The winner chosen by expert judges will receive a prize of USD 5000, and the winner from the popular vote category will win a prize of USD 2000.
The challenge is open to students aged between 12 years and 25 years from secondary schools, high schools, community colleges/schools, polytechnics, technical institutes, and universities.
Students can design structures that address issues like environmental sustainability, architectural aesthetics, and population growth, or solve a specific engineering challenge. These designs can be in the form of any superstructure, such as a building, bridge, monument, park, train station, or airport.
Katriona Lord-Levins, chief success officer, Bentley Systems, said, “This challenge is continuing Bentley Education’s mission of nurturing future professionals for careers in engineering, design, and architecture.”
“We want students to show their creativity using Minecraft and explore the potential of Bentley’s iTwin technology to tackle a challenge facing the world’s infrastructure. And, along the way, we want to inspire and encourage students to learn about infrastructure engineering as a possible career and expose them to the opportunities that lie ahead, with infrastructure going digital.”
When their design is ready, students will export the structure as a 3D model and place it within the real-world location using the Bentley iTwin platform. Students will also need to submit a short essay describing the concept behind their design. To participate in the challenge, students must register and submit their projects before March 31, 2022.
To register and to learn more about the submissions, judging criteria, and other information, click here.