A panel of judges including professors 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 by several criteria including storytelling, functionality, ingenuity, visual appeal, and communication. 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.

Competition entrants retain all rights to their designs. We respect and acknowledge the creativity and ownership of each participant and ensure that their intellectual property remains their own. Upon submission, each contest entrant grants rights to Ringling College of Art and Design and Universal Creative to showcase and promote their competition submission.

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!

Each participant is allowed one entry. We encourage you to pour all of your creativity into one exceptional design that showcases your unique talent.

No, this competition is designed for individual participation. Team entries will not be accepted.

Yes and No. Let’s look at Frankenstein for an example. While Mary Shelley’s written text is in the public domain, the iconic character design of the Frankenstein monster with the stitches on his head and the bolts coming out of his neck is a trademark owned by Universal. So this can be very tricky. When in doubt, reach out to your teachers or ThemeParkCompetition@ringling.edu  and ask for advice on this topic.

Participants may email and request a feedback session with Ringling College Faculty. We aim to ensure that you gain valuable insights into your work and have the opportunity to grow and develop your skills.