NYC Levels Up: Thousands Gather at NYC Video Game Festival to Crown 2026 Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs and NYC Collegiate Esports Champions

Battle of the Boroughs Elementary Division: PS 889 – Brooklyn

Battle of the Boroughs Middle School Division: New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+) – Manhattan

Battle of the Boroughs High School Division: Tottenville – Staten Island

League of Legends^Ⓡ NYC Collegiate Esports Circuit: The City College of New York

Valorant^Ⓡ NYC Collegiate Esports Circuit: Pace University

PHOTOS OF THE FIVE CHAMPION TEAMS AVAILABLE HERE

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS FROM THE FESTIVAL AVAILABLE HERE

NEW YORK - May 11, 2026 - From esports competitions and indie game demos to drone soccer and retro arcade classics, the 2nd Annual NYC Video Game Festival (NYCVGF) brought together 2,000 New Yorkers on Saturday, May 9, for a full day celebrating the city’s rapidly growing gaming and digital entertainment community.  The event was hosted by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), and a full list of esports competitors, partners, developers and activations is available in the event program here.

MOME Commissioner Rafael Espinal and NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels were on site to celebrate the NYC gaming community, along with Gerard “HipHopGamer” Williams from HOT97 FM radio, for an event that included the Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Finals (BOTB), presented in partnership with NYC Public Schools. The 2025 defending champions in the Elementary division, team Hyper Pigmentation from Brooklyn’s PS 889, took first place once again while Manhattan’s NEST+ and Staten Island’s Tottenville won for Middle and High School. The NYC Collegiate Esports Circuit Finals (NYCCEC), produced with Video Game Amateurs (VGA), saw The City College of NY (CCNY) win the League of Legends^Ⓡ competition, and Pace University win the Valorant^Ⓡ competition. For the first time this year, the collegiate finalists shared in a $10,000 prize pool thanks to Red Bull™ and proceeds from festival ticket sales. 

These student competitions showcase efforts by the City of NY to engage students from kindergarten through college with opportunities to enter the digital games industry. Through hands-on experiences, students are introduced to careers in video game design, coding, city planning, and related fields. 

Since its inception, the BOTB competition has engaged over 15,000 NYC Public School students, and 2026 set a new participation record, with 3,395 students from schools across all five boroughs, up from 1,200 in the first year in 2021. This year also saw a 44% increase in the number of high school submissions, and a total of 178 schools that have never competed before. These incredible achievements reflect the dedication and enthusiasm of educators, students, and school communities, who continue to make BOTB an unforgettable celebration of creativity, learning, and innovation. The NYCVGF featured a screening of Polygon’s new documentary about the Battle of the Boroughs, which can be viewed here. 

"New York City is one of the fastest-growing hubs for gaming jobs in the country, and this administration is committed to making sure that growth reaches every borough,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “The students competing here today are building real skills — in coding, design, and collaboration — and we intend to make sure they have every opportunity to turn those skills into careers right here at home." 

“This year’s NYC Video Game Festival was a truly epic celebration of our city’s digital games industry, with a focus on the future of its workforce; the students of all the esports competitions,” said Commissioner Rafael Espinal of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “This event wasn’t just about playing games, it was about building a pipeline into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world, and making sure New Yorkers are first in line for those opportunities. Congratulations to all the winners and participants of the event.”

“The Battle of the Boroughs is a great example of meeting students where they are to expand their interests,” said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “This competition is about showing our young people that the skills they build through gaming - coding, design, and collaboration - are the same skills that lead to real, fulfilling careers. I am incredibly proud of every team competing this year, and I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish.”

"I’m completely blown away, I saw a level of greatness in New York City that is not promoted and marketed every day and this changes now. BROOKLYN STUDENTS won the elementary championship in Minecraft, but NEW YORK CITY won the hearts of the community. We need to invest even more into this industry to show that gaming can be a path for a better society,” said Gerard "HipHopGamer" Williams.

"Congratulations to this year’s winners of an incredible competition. These students are inspiring not only New York City, but cities and school systems around the world to empower young people to shape the future. We're thrilled to see educators across all five boroughs using Minecraft Education to build skills, engage students, and spark such creative thinking," said Justin Edwards, Co-Lead and Director, Minecraft Education.