The “Design Your Own House with a Story” Contest
Contest Winners!
Thank you to everyone who submitted to “Design Your Own House with a Story,” my free contest for kids. It was a delight to see so much creativity on display—honestly, I loved all of them!
Our five judges have carefully reviewed and scored each entry, and after tabulating the scores, it is my distinct pleasure to announce our winners. Congratulations to them, and to everyone who worked hard to design and submit an entry. Keep drawing, building, and writing!
Grand Prize
Elisha L., age 10, of Wilmette, IL, wins the Grand Prize for “House for Aliens from Mars.” Congratulations, Elisha! You will receive a signed gift set of The Tiny Mansion, The Phantom Tower, and The Matchstick Castle, all in hardcover, plus an architectural drawing and design kit, and a free virtual author visit to your class or reading group! Hooray!
Here is what one of our judges had to say about Elisha’s work:
“Great job using shading to show the 3D shapes of the spheres. It almost looks like this house could camouflage itself as a tree so humans don’t notice it while the aliens are fixing their spacecraft. My favorite room is the sleep-over room! The detail drawings are really helpful in helping the viewer understand the different types of rooms – an architect would call these “enlarged elevations,” which show the inside of specific rooms. Excellent work!”
And here’s what another one said:
“You did some really interesting things with your graphics! The first drawing is an abstract diagram, and yet the shade and shadow make the bubbles of your diagram feel real. It makes people engage more readily with your information. Then, your other drawings feel kind of like a comic book. Check out the architect Jimenez Lai. He uses comics to describe his architecture and it helps him come up with new ideas. keep drawing!”
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First Runner-Up
Loanne, K., age 12, of Virginia, is our first runner-up for the “Magical Rubik’s Cube House.” Loanne wins a $25 gift certificate from The Book Stall.
Second Runner-Up
Lucy K., age 11, of Chicago, IL, is our second runner-up for “Tilted House.” Lucy wins a $25 gift certificate from Booked.
Third Runner-Up
Emerson E., age 8, from Dallas, TX, is our third runner-up for “Ghost Diamond Bunker #2.” Emerson submitted a video, an animated GIF, a blueprint, and a story—see the post on Facebook for the full experience! Emerson wins a $25 gift certificate from The Book Cellar.
Honorable Mentions
Reese, P., age 11, of Forest Knolls, CA, for “The Library House” 
Hailey A., age 9, of Bloomington, MN, for “The Witch’s House” 
Emma H., age 7, of Vienna, VA, for “Friendship City” 
Dyami M., age 11, of Fairfax, CA, for “Ladder to Magic” 
Brigitte T., age 10, of Oakland, CA, for “Peculiar House” 
Maggie M., age 10, of Winnetka, IL, for “Storybook Staircase House” 
Jacob S., age 8, from North Lake, IL, for “Penguin House” 
Kalaya M., age 10, of Fairfax, CA, for “Cupboard House” 
Romy G., age 10, of San Anselmo, CA, for “Mushroom Village”
Each runner up will receive a copy of one of the following fantastic books featuring unusual homes and structures:
- The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
- The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff
- The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio
- No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
- Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
- The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
- Twig and Turtle: Big Move to a Tiny House by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
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All Submissions
You can browse ALL of the wonderful submissions in the slide show below. (I’m sorry we can’t share the many videos, too!)
Contest Judges
A huge THANK YOU to our judging panel of professional architects and engineers, all of whom graciously donated their time!
Pete Conry reads voraciously while dabbling in architecture in his free time. In his more than 20 years as an architect, Pete has worked on everything from tombs to safe rooms, hospitals, homes, and hot-tub enclosures. He currently leads the McDonald’s US Restaurant Design Standards team, where they endeavor to make every McDonald’s look exactly the same. Pete lives with his wife, two kids, three chickens, and a cat in Oak Park, Illinois. 
Sloan Lavery has been an architect for a really long time. She is currently an aviation architect, which means she designs all sorts of different buildings at airports. Her company, RS&H, is huge, so she has lots of virtual meetings with coworkers all over the country, and uses all sorts of great technology, to get the work done. “Teamwork is key!” says Sloan. 
Marion Lawson is an architect at CannonDesign in Chicago, where she spends most of her time working on projects for new school buildings or renovations of existing schools, focusing on sustainable design. When she’s not in the office or at a construction site, she’s usually at home building Magna-tile towers, car garages, and horse barns with her kids. 
Seanna Walsh is an architect at Studio Gang in Chicago, where she works on projects that integrate outdoor spaces and nature into everyday life. Seanna speaks French and is currently working on a building in Paris, France! In her 10 years as an architect, she has designed skyscrapers all over the world, and loves to think about how the “guts” of these high-performing buildings can be made visible. When she’s not working on buildings, she loves spending time with her kid, his dad, and their new puppy. 
Adrianne Wheeler is the program director for Chicago’s Project SYNCERE, where for the past 10 years, she has helped elementary and high school students learn what engineering—and careers in engineering—are all about. She trained as an engineer herself, with college degrees in civil engineering and city planning. When Adrianne is not at work, she enjoys making websites, creating videos, and designing cool T-shirts.
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