Contest – Project Osmosis

DEADLINE: November 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM CST

ALL HIGH SCHOOL DESIGN COMPETITION DESIGN STUDENTS

We invite all high school-aged design students to support the future by entering your ideas into Project Osmosis’ annual “All High School Design Competition” where you’ll have the chance to showcase their design skills and also win big.

The Osmosis 2026 All High School Design Competition challenges student designers to create products and services that showcase the true power of design; design that cures diseases, builds safe community spaces, sparks innovations like airbags and rocking cradles, and reimagines what’s possible for the future.

This competition is a call to action: take charge of your future, think boldly, and let your creativity lead the way. Four outstanding designers will be honored at the Osmosis Design Awards and awarded exciting prizes for their visionary work.

We invite all high school students to showcase their talent and shape tomorrow’s world through design.

The Osmosis 2026 All High School Design Competition challenges students to think beyond what AI can do and focus on what it should do, positioning design as a powerful force for positive change. Participants are encouraged to imagine how AI-powered tools, systems, and experiences can uplift communities, expand access, protect the planet, and support human creativity and dignity.

Designing Good AI emphasizes that AI is not inherently good or bad. AI reflects the values, choices, and care of the designers behind it. Students are asked to approach AI as a design material, shaped by empathy, responsibility, and purpose.

Empowering Tomorrow invites designers to think long-term—creating solutions that consider sustainability, equity, and lasting impact for future generations.

Designs may address areas such as:

Education and learning access
Health, wellness, and safety
Environmental protection and climate resilience
Community connection and inclusion
Creative expression, storytelling, and culture

Create Your Design
Use your exceptional talent to design something that reflects the theme “Designing Good AI: Empowering Tomorrow.” Save your artwork as a PDF, PNG, MP4 and files must be named with your full name (examples: 2026ADC_YourFullName.PDF or 2026ADC_YourFullName.PNG or 2026ADC_YourFullName.MP4). Entries without proper naming cannot be accepted.
Write Your Design Brief
Write a description (up to 500 words) explaining how your design connects to the theme. Save your brief as a PDF, Word document, or share it as a Google Docs link and files must be named with your full name (examples: 2026ADC_YourFullName.PDF or 2026ADC_YourFullName.DOCX or 2026ADC_YourFullName)

“DESIGNING GOOD AI” DESIGN BRIEF

Your design must include a typed or neatly written design brief (description) up to 500 words that explains how your design relates to “Designing Good AI”.
Submit Your Application
Complete the online entry:
- Step 1: Fill out and submit the Online application form.
- Step 2: Upload Artwork and Written Breif:
  - Your design artwork named properly as outlined above (PDF, PNG, website link, or MP4)
  - Your design brief written essay document (PDF or DOCX)

The Project Osmosis All High School Design Competition (ADC) gives young designers the opportunity to showcase their talent, vision, and purpose while competing for exciting prizes and recognition.

This year’s theme, “Designing Good AI: Empowering Tomorrow” is a call to action—challenging students to take charge of their future, think boldly, and reimagine what’s possible through design.

The competition celebrates the brilliant work of Chicagoland high school students, transforming ideas that might otherwise remain concepts into impactful creations. By entering, students gain valuable experience and the chance to be honored at the Osmosis Design Awards, where the top 10 designers will be celebrated.

Encourage your students to step forward, design with purpose, and help shape tomorrow’s world.

Students are invited to “Designing Good AI: Empowering Tomorrow” through disciplines such as:

Architecture
Interior Design
Graphic Design
Motion Design
App Design
Urban Design
Industrial Design
Fashion Design

Your school’s support and promotion of the All High School Design Competition helps Project Osmosis discover and empower Chicago’s hidden creative gems—the future movers and shakers of the design world.

Design Challenge Prompt Example:

Create a design that demonstrates how AI or intelligent systems can be used responsibly and creatively to empower people, communities, or the environment.

Your project may be:

A tool, product, or service
A system or platform
An experience or environment
A campaign, artwork, or interactive concept

Whether practical or speculative, your design should clearly show how thoughtfully designed AI can have a positive, real-world impact.

Message to Student Designers Example:

The future is not something we wait for; it is something we design.

Design with empathy.
Design with responsibility.
Design with purpose.

Designing Good AI. Empowering Tomorrow.

The All High School Design Competition encourages high school students to be creative thinkers and innovators by expressing their natural talents. A multi-disciplinary project with a theme, students inspired by architecture, fashion, interior, industrial, graphic, and multi-media design are welcome to enter to win an Apple Laptop, iPad or Scholar Award. The Awards Ceremony is held at our annual benefit where winners’ work is also showcased. Donate to generations of designers’ dreams today.