Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum launched the National High School Design Competition in 2016. Every year, students around the country are challenged to design a solution to a unique scenario, inspired by Cooper Hewitt’s rich collection and stimulating exhibitions. 2021 CHALLENGE Cooper Hewitt is delighted to announce the 2021 National High School Design Competition: What...

Aditi Jha, age 16, Nidhi Malpani, age 16, and Yasmina Muradova, age 16 duPont Manual High School, Louisville, KY; Westwood High School, Austin, TX; and The Gatton Academy, Bowling Green, KY Many people experience addiction in their lives—drugs, alcohol, self-harm, the Internet, etc. As a common experience among all walks of life, it has touched...

Paulina Caceres, age 17, and Alexis Nicoleau, age 17 Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, FL Teacher: Eric Hankin Covid-19 has affected the way people move from one place to another. The Pod is made for those who have trouble accessing medical assistance. It provides medical services without the need to travel to a hospital...

Allison Casey, age 14 La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla, CA People at highest risk for Covid-19 infection, aside from seniors, tend to live in low-income communities and have less access to Covid-19 resources than those in wealthier communities due to barriers such as language, technology, information, and transportation. This makes it difficult for...

Sam Abuchaibe, age 18, and Samantha Azcuy-Batet, age 18 Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, FL Teacher: Eric Hankin It’s difficult to live a healthy life, physically and mentally, without being connected to nature. Quarantining further isolates and distances people from nature, which leads to many health issues. Hortus, our mobile healing garden, transforms old...

Nitya Ayyagari, age 17 Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA Parkinson’s disease is the leading cause of disability worldwide. I observed the debilitating symptoms that come with the disease while volunteering at my local memory care center, namely Freezing of Gait (FoG), a condition that occurs when patients with Parkinson’s have trouble balancing that may...

Sarah Basil, age 16 Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ Teacher: Scott Lang Modern telemedicine is used to reduce the risk of contracting infectious diseases, but the drawback is that the main diagnostic skills such as listening to the heart and lungs, are not possible, making it difficult to get an accurate and immediate diagnosis. This...

Katherine Bell, age 16 Phillips Academy Andover, Andover, MA Many cosmetic, skincare, and cleaning products contain scrubbing particles called microbeads, which are small plastic fragments ranging in size from roughly five micrometers to one millimeter. They accumulate in the oceans in the form of microplastic, endangering both marine life and humans as it enters our...

Paige Dalton, age 17, and Abigail Naidich, age 16 Academy of Allied Health and Science, Neptune City, NJ Teacher: Melissa Pitman Risk-inducing ingredients are in everyday essentials and cleaning items, a challenge for those exposed to harmful chemicals. In a class-action lawsuit with Tresemmé, we see the consequences of the hair loss chemical DMDM hydantoin...

Akaash Doshi, age 16 La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla, CA Teacher: Luna Kim Door handles in public spaces receive high amounts of traffic, allowing for an easy spread of germs, including Covid-19, from person-to-person through indirect contact. Frequently, the only way to exit a bathroom is by directly touching and pulling the door...

Brett Kim, age 18, Lena Luostarinen, age 17 Francis Parker School, San Diego, CA Last year, 56% of seniors reported feeling isolated, more than double the percentage in 2018. The increase of digital socialization has led to added stress and frustration for seniors, causing less interaction. Isolated seniors face a greater than 50% risk for...

Ariane Lee, age 17 Syosset High School, Syosset, NY Gynecologist appointments are feared by many women. Having your genitals examined by anyone, even a doctor, leaves you feeling vulnerable, anxious, and exposed. Every year, eight million American women skip their pelvic exams that screen for cervical cancer. Gynecologists cite “gyno anxiety” as a significant contributing...

Eleanor Lewis, age 16, and Lizmar Torres, age 16 Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, FL Teacher: Eric Hankin Residents of hospitals and assisted living centers are confined to their rooms, with little exposure to nature. This issue has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, as residents are under quarantine. Being distanced from nature is detrimental...

Smridhi Mahajan, age 16 Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Rockaway, NJ Whether it be at small gatherings or large events, my friends and I have suffered the effects of food allergies. Feeling left out during these times, combined with the potential of being in a life or death situation, makes living with a food...

Amanda Pajak, age 15 Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, Upton, MA Teacher: Adele Ellis Cameras can be hard to use for people with limited mobility and people in wheelchairs. My design helps people more easily use and hold a camera so they can experience the fun and creativeness of photography with various photography...