Design Programs & Competitions for High School Students

Design extracurriculars span product and industrial design intensives, UX and graphic-design programs, and architecture-adjacent studio workshops.

A small portfolio of finished design work separates you from applicants who only claim creative interest — these programs help you build it.

34 verified programs match this page; 18 of the featured listings are completely free; 7 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• James Dyson Award — James Dyson Foundation: International STEM competition challenging high school innovators in Grades 11-12 to design groundbreaking solutions. Win $40k and boost college appli
• ArtCenter College of Design Pre-College Program — ArtCenter College of Design: Intensive pre-college art and design program at ArtCenter in Pasadena for high school students to explore industrial design, graphic design, film, ill
• SCAD Pre-College Summer Art & Design Intensive — Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): Immersive pre-college summer program at SCAD campuses in Savannah and Atlanta for high school students to build a portfolio and study art, design, fil
• NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) — NASA Johnson Space Center: Online course with an in-person engineering design experience at NASA.
• Carnegie Mellon Architecture Pre-College — Carnegie Mellon University: Architecture program at CMU featuring studio-based learning. Design projects, digital fabrication, and portfolio development at top architecture schoo
• Processing Foundation Creative Coding — Processing Foundation: Free creative coding resources and community. Learn Processing/p5.js to create digital art and interactive media.
• U.S. Naval Academy Summer STEM Program — United States Naval Academy: Hands-on engineering and design camp on the USNA campus for grades 9-11.
• MIT Media Lab High School Program — MIT Media Lab: Work alongside MIT Media Lab researchers on creative technology projects spanning art, design, and engineering.
• Cooper Hewitt Design Challenge — Smithsonian Design Museum: Join a virtual high school competition to design data-driven solutions for community challenges. Build hands-on design skills and boost your college a
• FAA High School Competition — University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts: Engage in a dynamic arts competition for high schoolers in grades 9-11. Explore architecture, music, and design while boosting college applications. F
• Berkeley Changemaker Design Lab — UC Berkeley Jacobs Institute: Master design thinking and human-centered innovation at this in-person summer program for high school students. Build skills for college and future ca
• AIA High School Portfolio Development Course — American Institute of Architects: Develop your architecture portfolio with this virtual course for high school students in grades 10-12. Gain hands-on design skills and boost your coll
• Fashion Scholarship Fund Design Competition — FSF: Showcase your creativity in this hybrid fashion design competition. Compete for scholarships, enhance your skills, and boost your college applications
• Doodle for Google Competition — Google: Showcase your creativity in this national arts competition! Design a Google Doodle for a chance to be featured on Google.com. Perfect for building you
• Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge — Biomimicry Institute: Innovative STEM competition for grades 6-12 to design nature-inspired solutions. Build sustainability skills, boost college applications, and compete
• Biodesign Challenge High School Program — Biodesign Challenge: Join a hybrid biodesign competition for high schoolers in grades 9-12. Gain hands-on experience in synthetic biology, bioengineering, and design. Grea
• Engineers of Tomorrow — Various Universities: Compete in hands-on engineering challenges hosted by top universities. Build teamwork, design skills, and standout projects for college applications.
• The American Rocketry Challenge — AIA & Partners: Design, build, and launch rockets in the largest rocketry competition for grades 7-12. Boost STEM skills, gain hands-on experience, and impress colleg
• VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) — Robotics Education & Competition Foundation: Compete in the VEX Robotics Competition to design, program, and engineer robots for exciting challenges. Build STEM skills and enhance college applica
• Solar Car Challenge — Solar Car Challenge Foundation: Design, build, and race solar-powered cars in this national high school competition. Gain hands-on STEM experience, enhance college applications, and
• Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Drama — Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama: Immerse yourself in conservatory-style summer training in acting, musical theatre, and design at Carnegie Mellon. Boost performance skills and build y
• Columbia Engineering SHAPE — Columbia University: Explore engineering, coding, and robotics in a hands-on summer program at Columbia. Perfect for building STEM skills and enhancing college application
• Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (ASPIRE) — Stanford University School of Medicine: Explore a hands-on summer program blending medicine, technology, and design. Ideal for high schoolers seeking STEM skills, clinical insights, and a co
• High School Paid Internships — The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Gain hands-on arts experience with paid high school internships at The Met. Build skills in design, curatorial work, or arts administration—perfect fo
• TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics & Science) — Technology Student Association: Compete in a national STEM competition solving real engineering challenges. Build skills in math, design, and communication to boost college applicati
• Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams — Lemelson-MIT: Invent real-world solutions in this hands-on STEM competition for high school students. Build engineering skills, earn grants, and boost college appli
• Wentworth ImpactLab Pre-College Program — Wentworth Institute of Technology: Hands-on pre-college program at Wentworth Institute of Technology for rising juniors and seniors.
• Parsons Paris Pre-College — The New School / Parsons School of Design: Fashion, business, and design pre-college program at Parsons School of Design in Paris.
• Hampshire College Precollege Summer Programs — Hampshire College: Pre-college program at Hampshire College for high school students focusing on young feminist collaborative, blacksmithing, jewelry design & metal fabr
• Architecture Summer Programs Directory — Study Architecture: Curated directory of summer architecture programs for high school students interested in design and the built environment.

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