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Build a House... Build a Dream!

Save the date for our 23rd annual
Build a House... Build a Dream contest!

Join us on Saturday, March 7th, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM at Church Farm School for our Build a House... Build a Dream contest for 5th graders. Registration is now open!

Are you interested in being a sponsor or vendor? Click the links below to sign up! For more information, please contact Christy Kane, Director of Marketing, at christy@hfhcc.org.

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Calling all 5th graders in the Delaware Valley area!

In this competition, students work individually or in teams to build their own three-dimensional, model dream home which they then bring on the day of the contest for judging by professional architects, engineers, and builders. Over the years, houses have been fashioned from recycled materials, tree trunks, pencils, and pasta. Students are only limited by their creativity! All participants receive recognition for their efforts and the top winners earn prizes. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of the need for housing that is affordable and funds for local Habitat homebuilding programs for low-income families in the Delaware Valley.

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The goal of the Build a House Build a Dream contest is to introduce the students to what Habitat for Humanity does as an organization. Although they aren’t able to help at the construction site yet, they can learn about the importance of housing that is affordable at a young age and what they can do in the future to help their neighbors in need. 

Sustainability award presented by Saint-Gobain. 

This is an additional award opportunity for participants who choose to incorporate sustainability components into their project.

Helpful Links

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Contest Rules

There are a few rules to the contest in an effort to keep everyone in the same parameters for judging. Please be sure to keep the following in mind when building your model dream home:

  • Models must be three-dimensional and fit on a base no larger than 2ft x 3ft. 

  • Students must prepare one written description of about 100 words or less explaining why this is their idea of a dream house and highlighting any interesting features. This paragraph must be included with their model home on the day of the contest. 

  • Students must be prepared to discuss their entry with contest judges.

    • Originality and creativity

    • Use of materials

    • Appearance and design

    • Independent effort (This is a contest for kids, not their parents!) Model homes will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Click here for the full criteria judges will be using

    This free contest is open to fifth-grade students in public, private, and parochial, charter, and home schools throughout the Delaware Valley area. Students may participate in this event individually or with a partner. If you are registering with a building partner, you only need to submit one form but must provide an email address and parent/guardian contact of the building partner.

FAQs

  • What exactly is this contest?

    • It may be easiest to think of the contest as a science fair. Instead of making a science project, students build a model home. Our judging panel will assess each dream home based on originality and creativity, use of materials, appearance and design, and independent effort. Once all the submissions have been judged, we will announce the top three model homes during the online presentation.

  • Who can participate in this contest?

    • Any fifth-grader in public, private, charter, parochial, or homeschool (or any other type of schooling we missed) can participate! 

  • Can I work in a group of three or more?

    • Sorry, but you may only work individually or with one partner. We want to ensure that each team member has contributed and been fully engaged in the project, which becomes difficult with a larger group. We can also only fit so many people behind a table the day of the contest!

  • Are there any restrictions or requirements on what I can use to build my house?

    • Your house must be three-dimensional and fit on a base no larger than 2ft x 3ft in an effort to keep the contestants within similar constraints. Participants can use any medium they’d like including LEGOs, cardboard, and wood.

  • Can my business be part of the sponsorship for Build a House?

    • Absolutely!

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Participant Registration Form
Participant Registration Form
Do you have a building partner? If so, please complete the questions in the next section.
Yes
No
Vendor Interest Form
Vendor Interest Form

A huge Habitat thank you to everyone who joined us for our 22nd Annual Build a House…Build a Dream Contest in March 2025, and congratulations to the contest winners and award recipients!

Thank you to our 2025 sponsors!

This event was presented by:

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