# 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.

38 verified programs match this page; 18 of the featured listings are free; 8 can be done online.

## Programs (38 total, first 30 shown — full list on the canonical page)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [James Dyson Award](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/james-dyson-award) | James Dyson Foundation | Free | virtual | Grades 11–12 | 2026-07-15 |
| [Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Design Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nanoscience-nanotechnology-design-competition) | North Carolina State | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [MIT Media Lab High School Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mit-media-lab-high-school-program) | MIT Media Lab | Free | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [FAA High School Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/faa-high-school-competition) | University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts | Free | virtual | Grades 9–11 | 2027-02-01 |
| [Biodesign Challenge High School Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/biodesign-challenge-high-school) | Biodesign Challenge | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-09-30 |
| [Fashion Scholarship Fund Design Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/fashion-design-competition) | FSF | $50 | hybrid | Grades 12–25 | 2026-10-12 |
| [Engineers of Tomorrow](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/engineers-tomorrow) | Various Universities | $50 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-15 |
| [Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (ASPIRE)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/stanford-anesthesia-summer-institute-aspire) | Stanford University School of Medicine | $5,000 | hybrid | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-19 |
| [NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-high-school-aerospace-scholars-has) | NASA Johnson Space Center | Free | hybrid | Grade 11 | 2026-09-16 |
| [TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics & Science)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/teams-tests-of-engineering-aptitude-mathematics-science) | Technology Student Association | $150 | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-08 |
| [Processing Foundation Creative Coding](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/processing-foundation-creative-coding) | Processing Foundation | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [The American Rocketry Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/the-american-rocketry-challenge) | AIA & Partners | Free | in_person | Grades 7–12 | 2026-12-06 |
| [SCAD Pre-College Summer Art & Design Intensive](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/scad-pre-college-summer-art-design) | Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) | $4,500 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-05-28 |
| [ArtCenter College of Design Pre-College Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/artcenter-college-of-design-pre-college) | ArtCenter College of Design | $3,000 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-05-15 |
| [Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Drama](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/carnegie-mellon-pre-college-drama) | Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama | $9,200 | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [U.S. Naval Academy Summer STEM Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/us-naval-academy-summer-stem-program) | United States Naval Academy | $700 | in_person | Grades 9–11 | 2027-03-31 |
| [AIA High School Portfolio Development Course](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/aia-hspdc) | American Institute of Architects | $300 | virtual | Grades 10–12 | 2027-01-15 |
| [Cooper Hewitt Design Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/cooper-hewitt-design-challenge) | Smithsonian Design Museum | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-02 |
| [Carnegie Mellon Architecture Pre-College](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/carnegie-mellon-architecture-pre-college) | Carnegie Mellon University | $6,500 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [Columbia Engineering SHAPE](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/columbia-engineering-shape) | Columbia University | $3,500 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-03 |
| [Doodle for Google Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/doodle-4-google) | Google | Free | virtual | Grades 4–12 | 2026-12-17 |
| [Berkeley Changemaker Design Lab](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/jacobs-institute-design-innovation) | UC Berkeley Jacobs Institute | $2,500 | in_person | Grades 10–11 | 2027-03-15 |
| [Solar Car Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/solar-car-challenge) | Solar Car Challenge Foundation | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-31 |
| [Adobe Design Achievement Awards](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/adobe-design-achievement-awards) | Adobe | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lemelson-mit-inventeams) | Lemelson-MIT | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-04-05 |
| [Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/biomimicry-youth-design-challenge) | Biomimicry Institute | Free | virtual | Grades 6–12 | 2027-01-31 |
| [High School Paid Internships](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/high-school-paid-internships) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Free | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-03-13 |
| [VEX Robotics Competition (VRC)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/vex-robotics-competition-vrc) | Robotics Education & Competition Foundation | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-19 |
| [Parsons Paris Pre-College](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/parsons-paris-pre-college) | The New School / Parsons School of Design | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Adelphi Summer Pre-College Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/adelphi-summer-pre-college-program) | Adelphi College | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-06-12 |

## Frequently asked questions

### How many design programs are listed for high school students?

ExtracurricularHub currently lists 38 verified design opportunities for high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link.

### Are any of these design programs free?

Yes — 18 of the programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Free programs are often funded and can be more selective, so apply early.

### Which deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: James Dyson Award (July 15, 2026); NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) (September 16, 2026); Biodesign Challenge High School Program (September 30, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the program's official site.

### Do design extracurriculars help with college admissions?

Yes — sustained, escalating involvement in design (participation → awards or leadership → independent work) reads far stronger than scattered one-off activities. Pick one or two programs from this page and go deep.

## Related pages

- [Arts for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/arts)
- [Engineering Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/engineering)
- [Film & Video Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/film)
- [Summer Programs for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/summer-programs)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)
- [Find My Fit — 3-minute matching quiz](https://extracurricularhub.com/find-my-fit)

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Canonical page: https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/design
Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.