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Antarctica board game activity and competition

Antarctica board game object inquiry

This ‘Antarctica or the Race to the South Pole’ game was made in Australia in the early 1900s, in an era known as the heroic age of Antarctic exploration.

Use these questions below to investigate what this object reveals about the way people in the past thought about Antarctica – and consider how this compares with our understanding today.

Design your own board game competition

Students were challenged to design their own Antarctica board game. Entries closed 11 October 2026, with winners to be announced on 6 November 2026.

See competition terms and conditions

Pale blue coloured board game titled 'Antarctica or Race to the South Pole' showing a gridded map of Antarctica with parts of Australia and South America visible on either corner. A walrus rests on ice on Antarctica.
‘Antarctica’ board game, 1913, published by National Games, Ballarat, Victoria. National Museum of Australia
Object inquiry – what can a board game tell us?

The heroic age was a time when Antarctica was seen as one of the last great challenges for exploration and people were fascinated by the idea of reaching the South Pole first and discovering the continent.

Look closely at the board game:

  • What do you notice?
  • Why is the South Pole at the centre and why is the game designed as a race?
  • How do you think this game works?
Think like an historian
  • What does the game reveal about how people in 1913 viewed Antarctica and exploration?
  • Why might countries have wanted to reach Antarctica first? What does this suggest about people’s attitudes in this era
  • Does the game present Antarctica as a place of science, adventure or competition? Why do you think that?
Antarctica today: from race to responsibility

Today, Antarctica is governed through the Antarctic Treaty System, which protects it for shared scientific research. Instead of competing to control Antarctica, countries now cooperate to:

  • conduct scientific research
  • protect wildlife and ecosystems
  • study climate change
Compare past and present

Look again at the board game.

  • What values or ideas does the game reflect? How do we value Antarctica differently today?
  • What would you change or add to make this game better reflect our understanding of Antarctica today?
Think like a curator

Museums collect objects that reveal what was important to people in the past, or that help us to better understand history.

  • Why would a museum collect a board game like this?
  • How does it help us understand changing ideas about Antarctica over time?
  • Every historical object tells some stories but not others. Whose stories are missing from this game, and why does that matter?

Banner image: 'Antarctica' board game (detail), 1913, published by National Games, Ballarat, Victoria. National Museum of Australia

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