How to Enter

The banner for the 2023 National High School Design Competition, which features hand-drawn designs against a black background. Several branches of numbers and mathematical symbols, handwritten in white, emerge from the left of the image, eventually converging into a horizontal line in the center. From the right, thick lines of color similarly converge into the same center line. Several line drawings slowly flash across this central line, including an outstretched hand holding a globe, three raised fists, a farm, a park bench, an open book, a heart with a jagged line through it indicating a pulse, a collection of vegetables, and the words [Design with Data].
Cooper Hewitt’s National High School Design Competition will not take place in the 2023-2024 school year. Please check back in fall 2024 for program updates. To be notified of future competition announcements, email us at DesignCompetition@si.edu.

1. Create your design

What would you design with data for your community?

Learn more about the 2023 Design Challenge and use these resources to help ignite your creative thinking. You can enter as an individual or as a team of up to three people. Only one team member needs to submit your entry on behalf of the team.

Tips for Creating Your Sketch:

  • You will need one sketch of your design idea that you will upload as a .jpg (must be at least 8.5 x 11″ at 300 dpi).
  • We recommend using an 8 1/2 x 11″ sheet of paper.
  • Your sketch can be drawn in any medium by hand or on a computer.
  • The quality of the sketch will not be judged, but it should help illustrate the design concept.

If you are a student with a disability, you may submit a written description of your idea as a .pdf or an audio description of your idea as an .mp3 as needed (200 words or less) or contact DesignCompetition@si.edu by January 17, 2023 to discuss other possible modifications to enable participation.

2. Describe your design

Tell us more about your idea! Remember to use these resources as you work through the challenge. The online entry form will include a box where you can copy and paste your responses.

Design Challenge Questions:

 1. Tell us about the information you’re visualizing.
What data are you presenting? What is the story you are trying to tell about this data? Why is this information important to share? Who is affected by this information and how does it affect them? (50 words or less)

 2. Tell us about your data.
Where did you find the information that you’re visualizing? List your source(s) and include a link if you found the data online. If you collected the data yourself, let us know how you gathered it. (50 words or less)

 3. Tell us about your design.
Describe your design, its key symbols, and how users can understand the data you are presenting. (50 words or less)

 4. Tell us about the impact of your design for your user(s).
Describe how and why your design would benefit your audience and community. Might this have an impact on others in your broader community, across the country, or even around the world? How will users access and experience your design? (50 words or less)

If you are a student with a disability, you may submit audio files of your responses as .mp3 files as needed or contact DesignCompetition@si.edu by January 17, 2023 to discuss other possible modifications to enable participation.

3. Submit your design

The online entry period will be open from January 3 to February 13, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time). Please check your local time zone. Late entries will not be accepted. On the submissions site, you will create an account and be able to work on your entry before submitting.

Entry Requirements:

  • Your name and contact information, and the names and contact information for all team members, if applicable. Note: Only one team member should create an account and submit your entry on behalf of the team.
  • An upload of your design sketch as a .jpg (must be at least 8.5 x 11″ at 300 dpi), or alternate file type as described in step 1.
  • Responses to the design challenge questions noted in step 2.
  • An upload of your signed parent/legal guardian consent form as a .pdf or .jpg file (must be 300 dpi). The form must be completed and uploaded, and don’t forget the signature! If you are submitting a team entry, each team member must submit a signed parent/legal guardian consent form.

Important Notes:

  • Your entry cannot have any marks, logos, or writing on it that identifies authorship so that Cooper Hewitt can review all entries anonymously.
  • You may not share your design on social media or in any public manner until after the finalists are announced (anticipated to be on April 6, 2023).
  • For any questions, please visit FAQs.