Chester County fifth-graders, including those who attend private, charter or parochial schools, as well as homeschoolers, are invited to take part in the 20th annual Build a House Event being presented by Habitat for Humanity of Chester County on Saturday, March 11, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Church Farm School, 1001 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton.

As part of the competition, students may work individually or in teams of two to build their own 3D model dream home. The house must fit on a base no larger than 2 feet by 3 feet. Participants can use any medium they like, such as Legos, cardboard and wood. In previous years, students have created model houses designed to withstand tsunamis, houses based on spaceships and bongo drums, houses made entirely of pencils and pasta, and energy-efficient, environmentally friendly homes.

On March 11, students will be asked to bring their entries for judging by professional architects, engineers, and builders. The panel will judge each home based on originality and creativity, use of materials, appearance and design, and independent effort. All participants will receive recognition for their efforts, and the top three winners will earn prizes. Snacks and activities will be featured at the event.

The goal of the contest, according to event organizers, is to make students aware of the goal of Habitat for Humanity, which is to build affordable housing for people in need. Although the youths are not old enough to work on construction sites, they learn about the organization and what they can do in the future as volunteers.

The contest is free to enter and relies solely on sponsorship to raise money. Since 2002, more than 6,000 fifth-grade students representing approximately 750 schools throughout the area have participated, and the contest has raised roughly a half million dollars through sponsorship to help support Habitat's regional homebuilding initiatives.

For more information and to register, to view the rules of the contest, and to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit https://hfhcc.org/news/buildahouse. A link to register is also available at http://www.facebook.com/chescohabitat. The deadline to register is Friday, Feb. 24.