*Blog post written by marketing intern Eric Jones from Rhodes College.*

This summer, Brooks Museum challenged all Minecraft fanatics to design and build the world's coolest and most creative art museum.

We received a resounding response: 251 entries across three age categories, including over 200 entries from ages 12 and under. Three judges, The Art of Video Games site curator Dr. Stanton Thomas and artists Michael Roy (Buggin & Shruggin: A Glitched History of Gaming Culture) and Kenneth Wayne Alexander II (Surreal Kingdoms), sifted through the submissions using four criteria: creativity of the museum name, creativity of the museum design, originality, and the entry description.

To quote Michael Roy, "It was a huge pleasure to get to see so much creativity involved in creating a museum. The only unhappy moment was having to pick such few winners when surrounded by so much great work!”

Michael’s words perfectly captured our feelings about this inagural event. We are eager to keep developing other ways to get all ages creatively involved with the Brooks Museum and ultimately excited about art.

• First place winners each received an $85 GameStop gift certificate and a family membership for a year to the Brooks Museum.
• Second prize winners received a $50 GameStop gift certificate and two Museum day passes.
• Third prize winners received a $25 GameStop gift certificate and two Museum day passes.

Art of Minecraft Design & Build Contest Results:

Ages 12 and under:

First place: Anna Clark (12), Senatobia, MS, The Jungle Art Museum

Second place: Mark Hieatt (11), Cordova, TN, Glass Dome Museum of Art

Third place: John Marston, Jr. (11),  Memphis, TN, Marston’s Museum of Art

Ages 13 – 17:

First place: Alexander Rapp (17),  Germantown, TN, Retro-Symmetry

Second place: Ethan Marek Ferguson (15), Cordova, TN, New Santorini

Third place: Samantha Barton (13), Atoka, TN, The Iris Art Museum of Awesomeness

Ages 18 and up:

First place: Will Merrell (35), Cordova, TN, All Natural Museum Inn

Second place: Robin Poche (37), Collierville, TN, La Musee Arc-en-ciel

Third place: Chris Carter (24), Millington, TN, The Art of Art

*Click on the photos to see the image full-size.*

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The Art of Video Games is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from the Entertainment Software Association Foundation; Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins; Shelby and Frederick Gans; Mark Lamia; Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk; Rose Family Foundation; Betty and Lloyd Schermer; and Neil Young. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum’s traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go.