Sometimes it takes an intensive and immersive experience that only requires a small amount of time commitment to make a huge, impactful, and momentous difference. They come in many flavors, but I've seen Design Competitions bring out remarkably innovative ideas from all age groups.
An insightful look at how middle schoolers solved a real-world problem with design thinking and empathy at the iDesign Challenge. ...more
Design Competitions
September 20, 2025•3 min read

This four-day competition for high school students was hosted at NextFab, a professional makerspace. It'll be the first of many! ...more
Design Competitions
February 01, 2025•1 min read

This 4-hr hackathon was hosted at Camden Catholic High School for local middle schools. ...more
Design Competitions
February 01, 2025•1 min read

These kinds of competitions or hackathons range widely in duration and target audience. I'm looking to continue collaborating with NextFab to bring maker experiences for all age groups, but most foreseeably with other high school, college, or professional groups. I find that opportunities for innovation are sometimes stifled at the corporate level and these short-term commitments are great for team building, revitalization, and generation of new ideas. I can also see similar competitions doing very well with organizations with their own makerspaces already, such as universities. Makerspaces are too often underutilized. Let's get making!
- An Nguyen, PhD