About the Competition
About the Competition
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.
2025 Challenge
Cooper Hewitt will announce the theme for the 2025 National High School Design Competition in late fall 2024.
Excited to get involved? Email us at DesignCompetition@si.edu to be notified when further details become available.
Previous Design Competitions
2023: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN WITH DATA FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?
Winner: Eleanor Lewis
Eleanor Lewis entered the competition as a 12th grade student at Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami, FL. Her project, Plant Resilient Miami, is a web-based tool that provides information on hyper-localized environmental conditions like heat and saltwater intrusion risk, and how they are projected to shift in coming decades. It uses this information to suggest native plant species that will be resilient to climate change, creating a greener Miami. Learn more about the 2023 competition and Eleanor’s experience.
2022: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN FOR A MORE PEACEFUL AND JUST WORLD?
Winner: Erin Saya Ahn
Erin Saya Ahn entered the competition as a 10th grade student at Roosevelt High School in Seattle, WA. Her project, Aid To-Go, is a medical diagnosis brochure that enables easy doctor-patient communication, encouraging inclusivity as a step toward health equity and world peace. The brochure allows the patient to express their needs, regardless of linguistic or speech barriers by removing social, religious, and gender obstacles so the patient can get the care they need. Learn more about the 2022 competition and Saya’s experience.
2021: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN FOR A HEALTHIER WORLD?
Winners: Aditi Jha, Nidhi Malpani, and Yasmina Muradova
Aditi, Nidhi, and Yasmina entered the competition as 11th grade students at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY, Westwood High School in Austin, TX, and The Gatton Academy in Bowling Green, KY. Their project, Aegle, plays on people’s empathy and natural inclination to help others by encouraging self-care through a physical-mechanical plant and an app that responds to an individual’s well-being. Learn more about the 2021 competition and Aditi, Nidhi, and Yasmina’s experience.
2020: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN TO HELP MORE OF US FEEL INCLUDED?
Winners: Priya Agarwal and Anika Agnihotri
Priya and Anika entered the competition as 11th grade students at the Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering in Rockaway, NJ. They created Storily, a design that allows users to turn their family into storybook characters and insert them into riveting and educational picture books that reflect different cultures and experiences. Learn more about the 2020 competition and Priya and Anika’s experience.
2019: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN (OR REDESIGN) THAT IS A NATURE-BASED SOLUTION TO A GLOBAL PROBLEM?
Winners: Daniela Contreras and Lucas Dunoyer
Daniela and Lucas entered the competition as 12th graders at Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami, FL. They created Sound Gardens, a solution to sound pollution in urban areas that suppresses stressful city sounds, improves life quality, and provides a safer habitat for people as well as wildlife surrounding the city. Their design is inspired by the sounds of wind in nature passing through foliage and by rattle seeds. Learn more about the 2019 competition and Daniela and Lucas’s experience.
2018: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN TO MAKE THE EVERYDAY ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL?
Winners: Emily Bryson and Natasja Enriquez
Emily and Natasja entered the competition as 12th graders at Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami, FL. They created Art-Share, a tactile art-making tool kit for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Their design prototype featured three tools that create different types of marks and help users further develop motor skills. Learn more about the 2018 competition and Emily and Natasja’s experience.
2017: WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN TO IMPROVE A COMMUNITY’S ACCESS TO HEALTHY, FRESH FOODS?
Winner: Tova Kleiner
Tova entered the competition as a 9th grader at SAR High School in the Bronx, NY. She created a new fruit and vegetable subscription service for seniors to not only receive fresh food, but also to connect with high school students in their community. Tova’s design also features an innovative storage container to keep food organized and fresh. Learn more about the 2017 competition and Tova’s experience.
2016: DESIGN AN OUTDOOR CHAIR INSPIRED BY THE COOPER HEWITT’S COLLECTION
Winner: Claire Christianson
Claire entered the competition as a 10th grader at Providence Academy in Plymouth, MN. Using the Art Nouveau vase from Cooper Hewitt’s collection as inspiration, Claire designed a clean, modern chair for the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden at Cooper Hewitt. Claire’s chair was manufactured by Target, and is found in the garden today! Learn more about the 2016 competition and Claire’s experience.
