Details, details

You can model as many structures as you like – which types of buildings you choose to include is entirely up to you. The important thing is that your choices say something about the character and history of your town.

• Modeling teams may include up to six members. Participants must be age 13 or over.
• Buildings can be modeled with Google SketchUp, a free and relatively easy-to-use 3D modeling program from Google. You use SketchUp in combination with Google Earth to give models a precise geographic location.
• Buildings can also be modeled with Google Building Maker if your town is located in an area where Building Maker data is available. These models can also be edited and improved with Google SketchUp.
• Each completed building model should be uploaded to a dedicated town collection on the Google 3D Warehouse.
• Join our Google 3D Modeling for Earth and Maps Forum to discuss ideas and issues with other modelers. It's also a great way to find people to help you form a team.
• To enter, each team must complete and submit an online entry form.
• The competition submission deadline is 11:59 PM PST on March 1, 2012.
• No models previously entered in past Google competitions are eligible. Please only include new models in your entry collection.

For more information, please take a look at our list of Frequently Asked Questions and at the Get Started page. You must also consult the official rules before you enter.

Judging

Entries will be judged on the basis of the following general criteria:

• Accuracy: Your models' scale, location and orientation must be as true-to-life as possible.
• Photo-texturing: "Paint" your models with photographs of the actual buildings. Use photo-editing software to create textures that are devoid of trees, cars, people and other visual clutter.
• Efficiency: Make sure your town loads quickly in Google Earth by keeping your models simple.
• Detail: Create a sense of place by emphasizing things that make your town unique.
• Metadata: Include plenty of text information about the buildings you upload.
• Coverage: While quality is more important than quantity, model as much as you can to provide a compelling 3D experience for online visitors.
• Elegance: Strive for a combination of beautiful textures, lightweight models and rich metadata.

Take a look at our list of Acceptance Criteria to get a good idea of what you're shooting for. Finalists will be picked by an internal team of SketchUp experts. From among those finalists, a winner will be decided by a public vote that will take place on this website. The winning town will be announced by May 15, 2012.

Prizes

The winning individual/team will receive:

• USD $25,000 for the town's public school district or an individual school (or international equivalent, at Google’s discretion).
• A visit from a Google team, along with a dinner in the winners' honor.
• A video profile of the winning team and their town, to be featured on YouTube.
• A virtual tour of the winning town that will be added to the Google Earth website.
• International publicity in the form of blog posts, tweets and other media additional coverage on Google websites.

Get started today

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See the 2010 competition winning town, Barranco, Lima, Peru!