Enter Ringling College’s exciting design competition for high school students.
Are you the next great theme park designer? Ringling College of Art and Design proudly presents the Theme Park Design Competition, a design competition for U.S. high school juniors and seniors who are passionate about the exciting field of Entertainment Design!
To compete, you’ll imagine and design your own creative solution to a fictional theme park problem and infuse it with your unique creativity.
Top winners can earn a tuition scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design, VIP “behind-the-scenes” experiences with Universal Studios, complimentary travel and accommodations, and more!
Ready to get rolling?
Competition Details
Unlock your creativity by downloading the comprehensive project brief, which is your roadmap to understanding the challenge at hand. Find all the details you’ll need to design your innovative solution and begin your immersion in the world of Entertainment Design.
The project brief outlines an imaginary problem for Universal Studios: creating a mobile, all-weather cart designed to engage visitors with a unique merchandise experience.
Consider how your design could make selling food, apparel, souvenirs, and other physical and digital goods a memorable experience for visitors.
Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of Universal Studios and imagine how guests will interact and engage with your creation.
Project BriefCompetition FlyerExample Submission
Dates and Deadlines
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September 1 through November 30: Submission portal opens for candidates to upload entries
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November 30: Final deadline for all complete competition entries
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January 2026: Winners announced
Prize Package
High school students are invited to design a mobile merchandise cart for imagined use in Universal Studios theme parks.
Up to three top prize winners:
Each of the top winners will receive Exclusive VIP “behind-the-scenes” experiences with Universal Studios with complimentary travel and accommodations.
From Ringling College, the top three winners will receive:
- $20,000 tuition scholarship to a Ringling College of Art and Design undergraduate program (non-transferable, dependent upon acceptance into the major of choice for Fall 2026 or Fall 2027)
- Full tuition scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design’s PreCollege program (non-transferable, applicable for Summer 2026 or Summer 2027)*
- Half tuition scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design’s PreCollege program (non-transferable, applicable for Summer 2026 or Summer 2027)*
*Value of PreCollege tuition scholarships can be applied to the undergraduate program if desired (full tuition equates to $5,000 tuition scholarship, and half tuition equates to $2,500 tuition scholarship).
All remaining finalists:
Select finalists will receive a Ringling College/Universal Studios merchandise prize package including, but not limited to, Ringling College tote, t-shirts, tumblers, and stickers.
Submitted work from all finalists will be included in an exhibition at Universal Creative and/or a Universal Studios-owned facility.
Eligibility:
The Theme Park Design Competition is open to all U.S. high school students enrolled in grades 11 and 12 during the 2025-26 school year.
Judging
A panel of judges including faculty from Ringling College of Art and Design, designers from Universal Creative, and other experienced entertainment design professionals will evaluate all entries.
Designs will be evaluated on several criteria including functionality, practicality, ingenuity, visual appeal, and brand integration. Each entry will be scored by the panel of judges, with the winning entry or entries determined by a combination of evaluation scores and the judges’ individual feedback.
Judges:
Merritt Andrews, Universal Creative
Josh Jaillet, Universal Creative
Aaron (A.J.) Jeromin , Universal Creative
Megan Robinson, Universal Creative
Mike Woodcock, Universal Creative
Ying Wu, Universal Creative
Jamie DeRuyter, Department Head, Entertainment Design
Seongwoo Nam, Faculty, Entertainment Design
Greg Randle, Faculty, Entertainment Design
Submit Your Entry
Complete the challenge by submitting your design before the deadline using the process specified in the project brief. Once your entry is uploaded successfully, you’re officially in the running to make your mark in the world of Entertainment Design. Don’t miss this chance to get your creative vision noticed and celebrated by some of the top professionals in the design industry!
Submissions open September 1, 2025
Contact
Entertainment Design
Jamie DeRuyter
Entertainment Design Department Head
Quick Links
Get Inspired
Before you begin your creative journey to produce a mobile cart design, take some time to review a collection of mobile point of sale carts designed and shared for your reference by Don Carson, professional art director and designer in the theme park, video game, virtual world, and live events industries.
Also take a look at projects created by Ringling College of Art and Design students below.
A special thanks to Don Carson, Liv McMahon, Catrina Grant, Jetta Gerdts and Tia Kassim for sharing their work for your creative inspiration and reference. All works are used with the permission of the artists.
Featured
Don Carson
Chesuncook Resort
The Ring of Fire
Viking Voyages
Official Competition Rules
Want to know more? Click the button below to check out the official rules.
Theme Park Design Competition – FAQ
What is The Theme Park Design Competition presented by Ringling College of Art and Design all about?
The Theme Park Design Competition presented by Ringling College of Art and Design (“Competition”) is a challenge for individual high school juniors and seniors to conceptualize and create a schematic design for a branded mobile merchandise cart.
Competition participants will download a project brief, which explains the specifics of the design challenge. They will then follow each step of the challenge to create their own custom merchandise cart design. Finally, entrants must submit a digital file of slides including their cart design by November 30, 2025.
Who is eligible to participate in the competition?
The Competition is open to all currently enrolled U.S. high school students who are entering or will be in 11th or 12th grade during the 2025-2026 school year. This is a U.S. based competition that is open to all high school juniors and seniors.
Who owns the designs submitted to the competition?
Competition entrants retain ownership of any intellectual property rights in their original designs. Each participant should submit their own original work and may not use intellectual property of Ringling College of Art and Design or Universal Creative. Upon submission, each contest entrant grants rights to Ringling College of Art and Design and Universal Creative to showcase and promote their competition submission. See the Project Brief and Official Rules for more details.
Will designs submitted to the competition actually be fabricated and used in existing theme parks?
No, this design competition is entirely theoretical. We want to see your unique approach to this design challenge, but the designs are not intended for actual fabrication and implementation — it’s all about the idea!
Is there a limit to the number of entries per participant?
Each participant is allowed one entry. We encourage you to pour all of your creativity into one exceptional design that showcases your unique talent.
Can I collaborate with other students on a single entry?
No, this competition is designed for individual participation. Team entries will not be accepted.
Will there be opportunities for finalists or non-winners to receive feedback on their entries?
Yes, all entrants will receive valuable feedback from the judging panel. We aim to ensure that all competition participants gain valuable insights into their work and have the opportunity to grow and develop their skills.
I have more questions about the Theme Park Design Competition. Is there someone I can connect with directly?
YES! Please connect with Jamie DeRuyter, Department Head of Entertainment Design at Ringling College of Art and Design:
ThemeParkCompetition@ringling.edu
(863) 558-1182
Consult with an Expert
Jamie DeRuyter, Entertainment Design Department Head at Ringling College of Art and Design, is available to host a 30-minute online design consultation with 11th and 12th grade high school classes as his schedule permits.
