2Simple: Purple Mash Games Design Competition celebrates young creative minds at Amazon HQ

2Simple’s bi-annual Games Design Competition continues to inspire young people to explore coding, game design and digital creativity, while developing valuable teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Finalist schools from across the UK and beyond came together at Amazon’s UK headquarters on 16 June for the Grand Final of the Purple Mash Games Design Competition 2026. The competition provides children with a safe and engaging opportunity to design, build and present their own computer games, using Purple Mash’s 2DIY 3D tool, while developing a range of digital skills.

This year’s challenge invited teams of up to six pupils to create a two-level game with the theme “Planet Protectors”. Pupils explored environmental issues while applying coding, design, storytelling, audio and visual skills through a variety of Purple Mash tools.

Following regional heats, seven schools secured places in the Grand Final: St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Monkfield Park Primary, Daresbury Primary, Flax Hill Junior Academy, Woodford Green Prep, Goodenstone C of E Primary and Junior School Vlaskamp – The British School in the Netherlands.

At the final, each team presented their game to a panel of judges, explaining their creative decisions, problem-solving approaches and future development plans. The judging panel included Joseph McCann, creator of the Games Design Competition; John Grindall, Educational Software Developer at 2Simple; and Carl Prescott, Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon.

The day concluded with St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Bracknell being crowned the 2026 winners. You can play the winning game here. The school has now won the competition twice, having also taken the title in 2024. The winning team received the Games Design Competition trophy along with prizes from 2Simple and Amazon, while all finalists received goody bags.

Beyond recognising outstanding game design, the competition aims to encourage children to view themselves as digital creators rather than simply users of technology. By combining game development with real-world themes, pupils are given opportunities to strengthen key skills such as computational thinking, collaboration, creativity and confidence.

With pupils demonstrating impressive creativity, technical ability and environmental awareness throughout the competition, the 2026 Games Design Competition once again showcased the potential of the next generation of artists, coders, designers and digital innovators.