The South Florida Showdown took place on March 15th, 2025 and featured teams from all 3 South Florida Districts – Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. For the first time EVER, these districts competed unlike ever before! What began as a bold idea to unite students across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties through Minecraft Education blossomed into a full-fledged movement.
The South Florida Showdown wasn’t just a competition. It was a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and community. From pixelated builds to real-world ideas, this journey left an unforgettable mark on every student, teacher, and district involved.
Laying the Groundwork
In October, we kicked off with our first set of educator training sessions with one aim: to prepare teachers for the upcoming creative challenges of their students. When attending the Reinventing Cities World or the deep dive design strategies sessions, something always came as a precursor to what was going to happen.
As worlds were built and teams created, innovation flourished. Students were not only building in Minecraft, but they were also creating incredibly imaginative concepts for hurricane-resistant communities and Everglades clean-up innovations, one block at a time.
Regional Rounds
Months of creativity, collaboration, and competition culminated in the regional semi-finals, where the top five teams per grade band from each district—Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach—went head-to-head for a chance to represent their communities at the South Florida Showdown Finals. These regional rounds, built on months of challenges, sparked participation from hundreds of students across the tri-county area. From there, one team per grade band emerged to advance to the Finals—ready to showcase their ingenuity and represent the best of their district on the South Florida stage.
Check out the recap of Miami-Dade’s semi-finals here.
The Final Showdown
The Finals, held at the Levan Center on March 15th, brought together the top nine teams—three per grade band – in an electric atmosphere filled with creativity and school spirit. Teams were given a final challenge prompt on-site: to design a sustainable, climate-resilient school in a Florida-like setting, pushing their critical thinking and teamwork to new heights. With only an hour to plan and 30 minutes to build, elementary, middle, and high school teams tackled issues like urban heat islands, sea-level rise, and eco-friendly infrastructure. Students from each county competed live, side-by-side, with cheering sections, judges, and shoutcasters bringing the energy of a true esports championship.
Each grade band saw a fierce but friendly battle of ideas and execution. From rooftop gardens and floating school structures to renewable energy-powered classrooms, the builds reflected each district’s creativity and commitment to the challenge. Ultimately, one team per grade band claimed the title of South Florida champion—but all teams walked away having built something far more lasting: confidence, community, and the pride of representing their district on a regional stage.
And then… the winners were revealed. However, the reality is that each individual who stepped on that stage was a winner.
Congratulations to Broward for taking the Elementary and High School championships and Miami-Dade for winning the Middle School championship.
This journey would not have been attained without the amazing partners we had by our side, the educators, coaches, teachers, and district champions!
A special thank you to Minecraft Education for bringing such an incredible competition to South Florida. Thank you to Gameplan, CDW, and Spectrum Industries for sponsoring the first ever Showdown and Levan Center for allowing us to host it in such an incredible space. To our incredible shoutcasters Chris, Max, and Noah and our lovely emcee Jen. Thank you for making our vision a reality. Furthermore, the district leads from Miami Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward for making this reality a success!
Most importantly, thank the students for aiding us in remembering that our future is in great hands!
To learn more please contact info@miamiedtech.com
