Innovation Games 2024: Middle School Guidelines

Middle School Web projects will be written using HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript in Codecraft Works’ web editor ⎋.

This year’s project prompt is the following:

Create an original, informative, and compelling game or web story that showcases transformations made possible by innovation. Your project could be about how cities have changed over time, everyday objects that have evolved through history, or another innovation you’re passionate about.

Competition Rules & Requirements

Read and review the competition rules on the Innovation Games competition page.

Program Registration

1. To create an account for themselves, coaches will visit CodecraftWorks.com ⎋ and click the gold-colored “Login” button on the left side of the site. If you are viewing this page on a mobile device, the button may appear at the top of the page instead. Selecting this button will take you to the login page. If you have already created an account, you can skip this step.

2. Coaches must confirm their email address, school, and students’ grade level in this form: Innovation Games Coding: Program Registration ⎋. Codecraft will be in touch ASAP with a link and code to a custom program. This program is where coaches and students will access competition resources and project submission.

Student Account Creation and Distribution

1. Once coaches have received their program information, coaches will create student accounts that have usernames and passwords. Coaches will also be able to reset student passwords.

   • To create student accounts, follow these instructions: How to Create Student Accounts with Passwords ⎋.

   • When creating students’ display names, please use their first name and last initial (with more letters as needed to distinguish between students).

2. Coaches will distribute usernames and passwords to their students and be equipped to handle any password resets.

   • To change a student’s password or display name, follow these instructions: How to Manage Student Accounts with Passwords ⎋.

Coaches of middle schoolers will also be able to view their students’ public and private web projects through the “Student Projects” button on their program page. For more information about this feature, view this page: How to View Student Projects ⎋.

Login Instructions

Students can log in by entering their program’s short code on the main login page ⎋ or by clicking the “Student Login” button on their program page. For more detailed instructions, view this page: How to Log in to Student Accounts With Passwords ⎋.

Coaches will continue to log in with their email addresses on the main login page ⎋.

Project Submission Instructions

1. Coaches will first need to have created accounts for their students on the Codecraft platform ⎋ if they have not already. Coaches can do this using the instructions in the “Student Account Creation and Distribution” section above.

2. Students will need to visit their coach’s program on the Codecraft platform. Students can do this using the information in the “Login Instructions” section above.

3. Once they log in, the student will be redirected to the program page. Beginning on October 28, 2024, they should see the “Submit CCPC Project” button on that page. Click this button and fill in the requested information to submit the project. Again, students must have accounts created for them by their coaches and be logged in to see this button. Competition entries must be submitted through the coach’s program page NO LATER​ than 4 pm on November 4, 2024.

4. All students must submit projects using their own Codecraft platform accounts. Coaches should not be logged into the Codecraft platform for project submission; each student’s account should be used to submit their own project.

   When submitting a web project, make sure that it is set to “Public” in the project’s settings. Private projects are not viewable to other users (including the judges!). Not sure how to do this? Check out the “Settings Toggle” section of the Code Editor Quick Start ⎋ page of our Help Center.

Judging

This year’s project prompt is the following:

Create an original, informative, and compelling game or web story that showcases transformations made possible by innovation. Your project could be about how cities have changed over time, everyday objects that have evolved through history, or another innovation you’re passionate about.

Each entry will be reviewed by a panel of at least two judges and scored for its engagement, artwork, use of digital media, use of computer science concepts, originality, and completeness. The score sheets below will be used by the Judges during the competition.

The decisions of the judging panel are final and no correspondence will be entered into. The scorecard sample below will be online as a digital form and made available to each judge for use as they review the projects.

Web Development Rubric