LOTS of board games have been played across Cork city and county in recent weeks during lockdown — we’ve no doubt.

But now the imaginative kids and families of Cork are being encouraged to come up with their own new board game.

Tabletop Cafe and It’s The Kid’s Quizness have launched the competition.

Ronan Leonard of The Kid’s Quizness said: “Like board games themselves, this competition is about enjoying your time together putting it together, the prize will be great though.

“Tabletop Cafe will get the winning design printed three times at a professional level, one for permanent display and play in both their cafes — in Cork City and Bantry — and the winning family will get a copy for them to keep as well a board game from TableTop’s shop.

“And perhaps the best part is that The Echo will print the winning board game and rules in their KidzZone supplement, so thousands of families around Cork city and county will all be able to play and keep it in their own homes.”

There will be a of shortlist compiled by a team of people who will be testing all the games; Dara Harrington-Leonard (aged 9); Chris Heinhold and Emer Kelly, the co-owners of Tabletop Cafe Ronan Leonard from It’s The Kid’s Quizness (a daily streaming quiz for kids, 10.30am).

The shortlist will be judged then by Ray Cuddihy, a teacher from Cork, best known and much loved as Muinteor Ray from RTÉ’s Homeschool Hub.

The simple criteria are.

The board needs to be a square, no bigger than 30cm x 30cm — if it’s smaller, don’t worry we will make it to size in the paper.

It only uses things people have around the house, like a simple six sided dice, counters, playing cards etc.

The rules for the board game, should be 500 words, at most.

Most importantly, PLEASE let the kids take the lead on creating the game. Families will need to do test runs and tweaking of course and give their opinions, but no parent takeovers please.

The competition is open to anyone from Cork or living in Cork.

Ronan added: “We won’t be claiming any ownership of your work, we won’t be selling it etc, all that will remain with the winning team.”

Send in your entries with the boardgame on PDF and the rules on how to play the game in text on the email to corkboardgame@gmail.com by 7pm on Monday June 1.

The winner will be announced on Sunday, June 7, and printed in KidzZone in The Echo on Monday June 8.