About the Competition
2027 Design Challenge
How to Enter
FAQs & Timeline
Student & Teacher Resources

Banner for the National High School Design Competition featuring the question, “What would you design to help people connect?” Blue line illustrations with orange accents depict people connecting through activities such as video calling, drawing, cooking, reading, cycling, and playing chess. The illustrations are arranged in overlapping circles on a white background around the central blue text.

2027 DESIGN CHALLENGE

What would you design to help people connect?

We live in a world where people can connect instantly through social media and online. Yet many people still feel alone, isolated, or disconnected from their communities. Communities thrive when people connect, work together and build deep relationships. You have the power to bridge these gaps and bring people closer together through design. What would you design to help people connect? 

Every great design begins with a clear approach. Cooper Hewitt’s exhibition Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian’s Design Collection highlights six strategies that designers use to address people’s needs and create meaningful experiences. Each of these six approaches can serve as a tool to help people connect. Consider using one or more of these design strategies to guide your design:

  • Play: Experiment with unexpected ideas.
  • Tweak: Consider an existing design and how it can be improved.
  • Repeat: Use recurring elements to reinforce a core message.
  • Transform: Turn systems, materials, and experiences into unexpected solutions.
  • Show off: Highlight masterful craftsmanship and expertise to create solutions that inspire.
  • Simplify: Streamline complex processes, objects, or information to ensure accessibility for all.

Create a sketch that communicates your idea and describe how your design addresses the challenge question. Review how to enter and check back in November for resources to inspire your thinking and explore how designers, scientists, and engineers use the design process to help their communities connect.

2027 STEAM COLLABORATION

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Bezos Learning Center at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum are collaborating to use STEAM education to inspire civic participation and community building. Look for student resources and materials featuring STEAM connections, coming soon in November.

WHO CAN ENTER

The design competition is open to all high school students in grades 9 through 12, or who are homeschooled students working toward a high school degree anywhere in the United States. You can enter as an individual or as a team of up to three people. Review the competition Rules and Conditions, which will be available soon, for complete information on eligibility.

The Selection Process

The National High School Design Competition is organized in two stages. In Stage One, competitors will create and submit their design ideas per the entry requirements. Cooper Hewitt will select finalists to proceed to Stage Two of the Design Competition. All Stage One entries will be judged anonymously.

During Stage Two, the finalists will finalize their designs according to the requirements in the National High School Design Competition: Stage Two Brief document, which will be sent only to the selected finalists. Then, finalists will participate in a series of mentoring activities, including traveling to New York City for Mentor Weekend and traveling to Washington, D.C. to present their designs in person to the judges.

MENTOR WEEKEND: MAY 1–2, 2027

On May 1–2, 2027, finalists are required to attend an in-person Mentor Weekend at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, NY. Led by professional designers, finalists will dive into the design process, learn more about how design is used to solve everyday challenges, further discuss their design ideas, and prepare for the final presentations to the judges. Domestic travel and accommodations for each finalist and one parent or guardian provided.

JUDGING WEEKEND: JUNE 5–6, 2027

On June 5–6, 2027, finalists will rehearse their presentations and learn more about the intersection of design and STEAM disciplines at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Each finalist will present their design live to a panel of judges. Presentations will be recorded and livestreamed on the Cooper Hewitt YouTube channel, and all finalists will be present for their fellow finalists’ presentations. Domestic travel and accommodations for each finalist and one parent or guardian provided.

ENTRY DEADLINE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2027, 11:59 P.M. (EASTERN TIME)

The entry period will begin on January 5, 2027, but you can start working on your design now! Learn more about how to enter. To be notified when the submission site opens, email us at DesignCompetition@si.edu.

Selection Criteria

Judges will look at entries using the following criteria:

  • Innovation: How creative and original is the design?
  • Impact: Large or small, what is the impact of the design?
  • Relevance: How does your design help people connect?
  • Communication: How clear is the design idea from the sketch and question responses?

Additional criteria for the judging will be shared with finalists in the Stage Two Brief document and will include clarity of final presentation and materials, along with sportsmanship.

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Winner (1):

  • The winner will receive a custom design gift package valued at approximately $500.00 from SHOP Cooper Hewitt.
  • The winner will receive a complimentary Family Membership to Cooper Hewitt.

Finalists Requirements:

  • Mentor Call (Virtual): In April 2027, finalists will receive initial feedback from an assigned mentor during an hour-long virtual Zoom meeting or phone call. (Zoom’s privacy policy is available here: https://zoom.us/educationalprivacy)
  • Trip to attend Mentor Weekend: On May 1-2, 2027, finalists will attend a Mentor Weekend in New York City at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Finalists will visit Cooper Hewitt and dive into the design process, finalize designs with mentors, and review their presentations. (Domestic travel and accommodation provided.)
  • Trip to attend Judging Weekend: On June 5-6, 2027, finalists will participate in Judging Weekend in Washington, D.C. at the Bezos Learning Center at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Finalists will visit the museum, learn more about the competition theme, and present their designs live to a diverse panel of creative experts. (Domestic travel and accommodation provided.)
  • Finalists’ designs will be displayed at Cooper Hewitt and on the Cooper Hewitt website to celebrate the creativity of promising young designers.

Honorable Mentions:

  • The designs of all finalists and honorable mentions will be displayed at Cooper Hewitt and on the Cooper Hewitt website to celebrate the creativity of promising young designers

Finalist activities are required. Domestic travel and accommodation for the Mentor Weekend and Judging Weekend will be provided for each finalist and one parent or guardian. If finalists are part of a team, one parent or guardian chaperone will accompany the team. Review the competition rules and conditions, which will be available soon, for complete information.

2027 Special Thanks

Designing Tomorrow: Building Community and Civic Capacity through National STEAM Learning is supported by the Smithsonian Institution’s Together We Thrive initiative and funded in part by the Jeff Bezos gift to the National Air and Space Museum.