15 Design Competitions for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Jul 27
- 16 min read
If you're interested in architecture, graphic design, industrial design, engineering, fashion, or product design, design competitions can help you explore these fields beyond the classroom. They encourage you to apply creative thinking and technical skills to open-ended challenges while developing your ability to communicate ideas through visual and design-based solutions. Many competitions also provide opportunities to receive feedback from designers, architects, engineers, and other industry professionals.
Why should I participate in a design competition in high school?
Design competitions provide a structured environment to tackle creative challenges while refining your design process. Depending on the competition, you might research user needs, create sketches or digital models, build prototypes, develop architectural concepts, prepare design portfolios, or present your work to judges for evaluation. These experiences can help you strengthen your creativity, problem-solving, communication, and technical skills while preparing for future study in design, engineering, architecture, or related fields.
To help with your search, below is a list of 15 design competitions for high school students.
Key takeaways
These 15 competitions span architecture, product design, industrial design, graphic design, fashion, app design, entrepreneurial design, biomimicry, and narrative art, so students with a wide range of design interests can find a relevant competition to enter.
Several competitions offer substantial prizes, including Davidson Fellows Scholarship ($25,000 to $100,000), Diamond Challenge ($12,000 first place), YoungArts (up to $10,000 for top finalists), ARTEFFECT ($6,000 grand prize), and Norwich University Architecture Competition (up to $8,000 scholarship per team member).
Many competitions are open to international entrants, including YoungArts, AFSF High School Design Competition, ASHRAE High School Design Competition, and Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge, making them accessible to students regardless of location.
Competitions vary significantly in format, from individual portfolio submissions, such as YoungArts and Scholastic Art Awards, to team-based entrepreneurial pitches, such as Diamond Challenge, to software-based engineering models, such as ASHRAE, so students can choose based on their strengths and working preferences.
Several competitions have fall deadlines, including ASHRAE (November 30), Congressional App Challenge (October 26), YoungArts (October 6), and Norwich University Architecture (November 23), so students should identify relevant competitions at the start of the school year.
Prize/Award: Prizes of $100 - $400 are awarded in each category
Format: Individual, virtual (in-person awards reception), one round
Competition Dates: April 23 (Awards Celebration)
Registration Deadline: April 3
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12
The American Society of Body Engineers (ASBE) Foundation’s High School Design Challenge is a unique, highly technical design competition for high schoolers interested in product and industrial design. You’ll choose to compete in either the Engineering Design or Design Concept category. The former focuses primarily on a functional and industrial approach, and the latter on broader aesthetic and practical conceptualization. You’ll address a yearly challenge, targeting a specialized feature with room for creative freedom. Most recently, Engineering competitors were tasked with developing a functional rear-deck air spoiler, and Concept competitors designed a next-generation car armrest and convenience center. You’ll create professional-level product renders using CAD and/or freehand techniques, providing detailed breakdowns of specifications, functionalities, features, attachments, and more. Alongside your work submissions, you’ll include a written description of your design approach and methods. You’ll be judged on features such as creativity, practicality, appearance, and the quality of your concept and design execution; the top 8 submissions in each category will receive cash prizes. You can see winning examples from the Design Concept and Engineering Design categories here.
Prize/Award: YoungArts Award (Top ~6%): $250 | YoungArts Award With Distinction (Top 1%): Varies (ranges from $500-$10,000) | Includes fully-funded attendance at National YoungArts Week
Format: Individual, virtual and in-person, two rounds
Competition Dates: YoungArts Week is held in January
Registration Deadline: October 6
Eligibility: Students in 10th-12th grade or aged 15-18 on December 1 of the application year | Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident/green card holder, or legally permitted to receive taxable income in the U.S.
The YoungArts program is a design competition for extremely talented high school students in 10 arts disciplines. The Design category accepts submissions across architecture, product design, fashion, and more, focusing on products and experiences designed for the real world. You’ll submit a portfolio of at least 10 pages and two projects, alongside additional written commentary and a video demonstrating your design project in use. After evaluation by a panel of industry experts, the top 1% of competitors will be invited to the fully-funded National YoungArts Week, where you’ll compete in-person for additional prizes of up to $10,000, network and attend workshops with famous artists, and display your work at an event exhibition. Up to 60 students will be nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, providing an additional opportunity to receive the highest honor for artistic skills in the country. Alumni of the program include renowned actors, designers, and musicians. You’ll receive ongoing access to alumni resources and events throughout college and beyond.
Prize/Award: Five regional winners are selected each year, and additional entries are featured on the national online exhibition map
Format: Individual or team (up to 3 members), virtual, two rounds
Competition Dates: Regional Winners announced: April 7 | Regional Winners Day: May 16
Registration Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Current 9th-12th grade students residing within the U.S.
Hosted by the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum, the National High School Design Competition challenges students to develop a solution to a real-world problem through a human-centered design approach. You’ll work independently or with up to two partners to address a yearly open-ended theme, the most recent being “What would you design for your community’s future?” and develop a design proposal. Your submission will include a sketch prototype and written responses on your design approach and its alignment with the theme. Designs can range across architecture, infrastructure, interior structures, and more; recent winners can be seen here. You’ll be evaluated by a jury on innovation, impact, relevance, and communication, based on your sketch and responses. Beyond staff from Cooper Hewitt and the Smithsonian Design Museum, former judges include 30 Under 30 recipients, Louvre and Met museum curators, and the director of product design at Herman Miller.
Prize/Award: Scholarships of $25,000–$100,000
Format: Individual or 2-person team, remote submission, in-person ceremony
Competition Dates: Awardees are announced on or before July 15 | The Ceremony is held in September
Registration Deadline: February 18
Eligibility: Students aged 18 or younger by the application deadline | Must be a U.S. citizen residing in the United States, or a Permanent Resident, or be stationed overseas due to active U.S. military duty | Projects are expected to be at or near college graduate-level quality
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is a prestigious competition recognizing students who have completed an independent project with the potential to make a valuable contribution to society. This fellowship is a strong choice for students interested in product design, as it supports entries in fields such as robotics, hardware, and engineering. More unique products may be entered in the “Outside the Box” category. Former award-winning product design projects include a brain-controlled exoskeleton system for people with motor impairments and novel oblique wings for airplanes. Winners receive scholarships of up to $100,000 and join a distinguished alumni network of researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. You can read more about student projects and outcomes here.
Prize/Award: Individual Design (Overall): 1st-3rd place awards; 3-4 honorable mentions | Group: 1st-3rd place awards; 3-4 honorable mentions | All awards include cash prizes | The Overall First-Place winner receives a fully-funded scholarship to the 4-week California College of the Arts pre-college summer program
Format: Individual and Group (separate categories), virtual, one round
Competition Dates: Competition opens: January 7 | Awards: May 10
Registration Deadline: Final submission date: May 8
Eligibility: High school students | Entries are accepted from around the world.
The Architectural Foundation of San Francisco hosts an annual international high school design competition that challenges students from around the world to develop an architectural solution to a design brief. You’ll draw from a brief for a structural proposal, most recently, a mixed-use development of a San Francisco waterfront area, to create detailed architectural sketches, drawings, and an overall model of a multifaceted design initiative. With requirements analogous to professional-level architectural briefs, you’ll engage with site context, mandatory structural and spatial features, sustainability and construction methods, and broader design considerations. Alongside your design materials, you’ll provide a written design description and short video explaining your design process and approach, both in relation to the competition assignment and your own goals in the field of architecture.
Prize/Award: 1st: $1,000 | 2nd: $500 | 3rd: $300 | All winners also receive a certificate and recognition in the Insights publication
Format: Individual or team (1-5), virtual, one round
Competition Dates: Competition opens: August 11 | Submission deadline: December 30 | Winners announced: March 1
Registration Deadline: November 30
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) High School Design Competition is an international opportunity for high schoolers to gain recognition for both artistic and technical abilities. You’ll be tasked with an annual cycling competition objective focused on developing an HVAC system tailored to a highly specialized building. You’ll evaluate the heating and cooling needs of each area of the multi-room structure and tailor your design based on occupancy, usage, size, and other factors. You’ll also incorporate elements ranging from regional temperatures throughout the year to environmental quality to noise levels. Your submission will merge skills across design, physics, engineering, and architecture, culminating in a software-based graphic model, a written narrative of your design process, and supplemental information such as sizing calculations. You’ll be judged by ASHRAE professionals based on how well you meet the building owner’s requirements and preferences, technical skill, creativity, and feasibility.
Prize/Award: Regional: Honorable Mention, Silver Key, Gold Key | National: Silver Medal, Gold Medal, American Visions | National Medalists: National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, scholarships (up to $12,500), publication in annual anthology, exhibitions
Format: Individual, online (apart from National Ceremony), submission-based, two rounds
Competition Dates: Regional Awards are released in late January | National Medals are released in March | The National Ceremony is held in June
Registration Deadline: Varies by region (ranges from December 1 to early January)
Eligibility: High school students | Only seniors are eligible to submit to the Art Portfolio category | Students may submit their work within multiple categories, and may enter multiple submissions within a single category
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is a prestigious nationwide competition for high schoolers that evaluates entries in nearly 20 artistic categories. If you’re looking to earn recognition for your design skills, you can consider submitting to the Architecture & Industrial Design, Conceptual, Installation & Participatory Art, Fashion, or Graphic Design categories. If you have multiple works you’d like to showcase, you’re eligible to both submit multiple works in the same category and to compete within multiple disciplines. After regional awards are announced, the “Gold Key” winners will advance to national evaluation, where Silver and Gold Medals are awarded. If you’re truly at the top of your category, you may earn the prestigious American Visions Award. National Medalists will attend an Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, where you’ll attend presentations, receive live recognition, and meet celebrity guests across visual arts, performance, and writing. Your work will be displayed at national exhibitions and published in the yearly Anthology.
Prize/Award: Grand Prize: $6,000 | Best in Show: $3,000 | Second Place: $2,000 | Spotlight Prize: $1,000
Format: Individual, submission-based, virtual
Competition Dates: Finalists are announced on May 11 | Winners are announced on June 1
Registration Deadline: April 21
Eligibility: 9th-12th graders | A middle school category is also offered
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes’ ARTEFFECT Student Art Competition is an opportunity for high school students to showcase their skills in narrative art and design. You’ll choose a historical figure from the Center’s list of “Unsung Heroes” or underrecognized individuals across civil rights, journalism, medicine, and more. You’ll then develop a 2D or 3D design inspired by your Unsung Hero’s life in a medium of your choice, such as sculpture, mixed media, ceramics, or painting. You’ll be challenged to demonstrate narrative storytelling through your submission, accenting themes such as compassion, social impact, and bravery. You’ll also submit an Impact Statement, providing an opportunity to share how your design choices were informed by your selected Hero. Your work will be evaluated by a panel of industry experts in design, education, fine arts, and museums. You’ll be considered for a range of awards, including a $6,000 Grand Prize and exhibition in Washington, D.C.
Prize/Award: Winning teams receive international recognition and are featured in the online exhibition and awards showcase
Format: Team, virtual (in-person awards and exhibition for winners)
Competition Dates: Project Work/Coaching Sessions: February/March | Peer Review: February 28–March 15 | Final Submission: April 1 | Awards/Exhibition: May
Registration Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Grades 9-12 | A middle school category is also offered
The Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge is a unique design competition for high schoolers merging biology, environmental sciences, engineering, and design. You’ll choose an environmental problem drawn from one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, then create a design prototype inspired by nature to provide a solution. You’ll begin by researching your chosen environmental topic and identifying existing biological systems that may offer insights into sustainable, effective novel technologies, infrastructure, or products. Your competition submission will include a video pitch, written materials, and a visual portfolio that breaks down the process, research, design approach, and biological inspiration behind your work, along with images of your product model. Past winning projects include a water-collection device inspired by desert animals, pollution-extraction technologies inspired by fish gills, and more.
Prize/Award: National online recognition, physical certificate/trophy presented at the #HouseOfCode event in Washington, D.C., and other publicity opportunities | Special prizes are also awarded (e.g., Most Impactful or Most Technically Complex)
Format: Individual or team (up to 4 team members)
Competition Dates: Competition opens in May | Winners are announced in December
Registration Deadline: October 26
Eligibility: Current middle and high school students who are U.S. residents | Students may compete in the district in which they reside (if attending school in another district, students may choose their preferred submission district) | For teams, at least half of the participants must reside within their chosen district
If you’re interested in UI/UX and technology design, the Congressional App Challenge provides a unique opportunity for federal recognition. You’ll design an app from start to finish, choosing your preferred theme, topic, programming language, or platform, allowing you to emphasize your primary technological strengths and create something genuinely useful or interesting to you. You’ll be evaluated in your congressional district; each district selects the best app submission for recognition at the federal level. Former winning apps include a student-geared game integrating economic principles, a college application planner, and a spelling bee coaching platform. If named a winner, you’ll be featured in a federal press release and attend the #HouseOfCode event at the U.S. Capitol, where you’ll display your app, meet with federal policymakers, and network with figures from major industry sponsors.
Prize/Award: $1,000 | Top entrants are featured on AIA podcasts and the AIA website
Format: Individual or team, virtual, two rounds (including regional qualifying competitions)
Competition Dates: Voting closes June 13
Registration Deadline: Varies | Students must qualify through their regional competition
Eligibility: High school students are eligible | Students must win their local/regional competition to participate in the AIA national competition
The AIA’s Student Design Competition recognizes design proposals from aspiring architects from high schools across the country. In order to be eligible for consideration, you’ll first need to participate in and win your regional AIA Chapter’s Design Competition, each evaluated by a panel of industry expert judges. Each regional design competition presents a distinct architectural challenge, ranging from sustainable housing models to community music centers, and tasks you with creating a unique structural design within a specialized field of architecture. You’ll be evaluated based on your engagement with structural and environmental factors, site analysis, architectural thinking, and overall skill. After gaining regional recognition, you’ll compete against other AIA chapter winners for the National People’s Choice Award and a $1,000 prize. Though exact details vary across chapters, you’ll have access to a variety of opportunities, including mentorship, networking, in-person ceremonies, exhibitions, and additional prizes.
Prizes: 1st Place: $12,000 | Second Place: $8,000 | 3rd Place: $4,500 | Corporate-sponsored special awards are also given at varying amounts
Format: Team, virtual and in-person, multiple stages
Competition Dates: September 16 (Submission Window Opens) | February 10 (Advancing Teams Notified) | March 9 (Finalists Announced) | April 29-30 (Limitless World Summit)
Registration Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-18 | Teams must consist of 2-4 students plus one adult advisor aged 21+
The Diamond Challenge is an international entrepreneurial design competition that tasks high school students with designing an innovative product and a related business model. You’ll choose to enter either Business Innovation or Social Innovation, depending on your submission’s intent to solve a customer problem or create a positive social impact. Alongside your product or service design, you’ll develop a video and a written business proposal that demonstrate how it stands out from existing options, your value proposition, and your plans for revenue and sustainability. If you advance past the initial stage, you’ll create a pitch deck that breaks down your business messaging and how your design meets consumers' needs or supports society at large. In the final stage, you’ll attend the in-person Limitless World Summit, where you’ll deliver a pitch to a judging panel and participate in a Q&A session. Past winning designs include a fingerprint-protected gun lock, a transportable and sustainable sand-to-concrete converter, and an AI-driven crop health data platform.
Prize/Award: All prizes are Leadership Scholarship Awards to Norwich University | 1st: $8,000 | 2nd: $4,000 | 3rd: $2,000 | For teams, each member receives the full award
Format: Individual or team, virtual, one
Competition Dates: September 8–November 23
Registration Deadline: November 23
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. residents
Hosted by the Norwich University School of Architecture + Art, the High School Architecture Design Competition challenges participants to complete an innovative architectural design project. Submission requirements are drawn from yearly themes, most recently a semi-outdoor public “Pocket Place”, providing creative freedom within a specialized area of architecture. You’ll focus on creating an innovative, creative, and feasible design project, tailoring your work to stipulations on size, features, and other mandatory structural elements. You will submit a combination of drawings, sketches, digital renderings, or (photographed) physical models, ensuring that judges can view your design from multiple angles. You’ll also write a narrative description of your project to add context to your choices and approach. You’ll receive feedback from Norwich Architecture faculty on your submission (even if you’re not selected as a winner), and you will be able to reach out for guidance during the course of the competition timeline. If you win, you’ll receive a scholarship to Norwich to pursue Architecture at the college level.
Prize/Award: One grand prize winner is selected from all entries | 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and honorable mention winners are chosen for each grade level | Prizes include certificates and NASA gear
Format: Individual, virtual, one round
Competition Dates: Competition opens on December 1 | Winners are typically announced by late February
Registration Deadline: December 31
Eligibility: Students in grades K-12 attending school in the U.S. Children of U.S. military members stationed overseas remain eligible (Apart from the Grand Prize, submissions are evaluated within individual grade levels)
The NASA Langley Student Art Contest is a strong competition for students interested in art, aeronautics, and engineering. Drawing inspiration from NASA’s Langley focus areas, you’ll create a project in a drawing, painting, or design medium of your choice that engages with topics like space flight, travel to the Moon or Mars, or ideas for future innovations in aeronautics and space sciences. With open-ended requirements, your submission may range from a painting of deep space to an innovative spacecraft model design. You’ll be evaluated within your grade cohort based on the originality, creativity, and aesthetics of your work, as well as its thematic alignment.
Prize/Award: First, Second, and Third Place awards of $600, $500, and $400, respectively, are given | People’s Choice: $250 | State finalists: $200
Format: Individual, remote, two rounds
Competition Dates: State Winners Announced: May 8 | People’s Choice Voting: May 11-22 | Final Awards Announced: May 29 | WGA Annual Meeting: June
Registration Deadline: April 24
Eligibility: High school students in public, private, charter, alternative schools, and homeschools | Must attend school in one of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) member states or territories
In the Western Governors’ Foundation’s Celebrate the West Competition, you’ll be challenged to design an art project inspired by your state or the U.S. West region. In this exploratory competition, you’ll be eligible to submit art and design entries ranging from mixed media to lithography to painting. To add context to your work, you’ll also craft a statement exploring the meaning behind your submission and your artistic choices. You’ll first be judged at the state/territory level; if you’re named the winner, you’ll advance to the final round, where you’ll compete with the top submissions from other WGA states and territories. The judging committee evaluates submissions for aesthetic value, originality, storytelling, and thematic alignment. This unique competition stands out for merging art, design, and narrative while engaging with your local community.
Frequently asked questions
What design competitions are available for high school students?
Options include architecture competitions, such as AFSF, AIA Student Design, and Norwich University, product and industrial design competitions, such as ASBE Foundation and Davidson Fellows, graphic and visual art competitions, such as Scholastic Art Awards and ARTEFFECT, app and UI/UX design competitions, such as Congressional App Challenge, entrepreneurial design competitions, such as Diamond Challenge, environmental and biomimicry design, such as Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge, and space-themed art and design, such as NASA Langley Student Art Contest.
Which design competitions offer the largest prizes?
Davidson Fellows Scholarship offers $25,000 to $100,000 in scholarship funds, Diamond Challenge awards $12,000 for first place, YoungArts awards up to $10,000 for national finalists, ARTEFFECT awards a $6,000 grand prize, and Norwich University Architecture Competition provides up to $8,000 in scholarship awards per team member.
Which design competitions are open to international students?
YoungArts is open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and those legally permitted to receive taxable income in the U.S. AFSF High School Design Competition, ASHRAE High School Design Competition, and Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge all accept international entries. Scholastic Art Awards is open to students in the United States, U.S. territories, and Canada.
Which competitions are best for students interested in architecture?
Students interested in architecture might consider AFSF High School Design Competition for an international brief-based architectural challenge, AIA Student Design Competition for regional and national recognition through the professional architecture association, Norwich University Architecture Competition for scholarship awards and faculty feedback, and ASBE Foundation for a more technical industrial and product design approach.
When should I start preparing for design competitions?
Several competitions have fall deadlines, including YoungArts (October 6), Congressional App Challenge (October 26), ASHRAE (November 30), and Norwich University Architecture (November 23). Others close in early spring, including Cooper Hewitt (February 2), Davidson Fellows (February 18), and Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge (January 31). Students should identify competitions of interest at the start of the school year and begin developing project ideas and portfolio materials well in advance.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.