BDC Summit 2026 Winners

College for Creative Studies Overall Winners (left to right) Maxim Van Duyne, O'Dell Carson III, and Abigail Carballo with mentor Jennifer Willet (left) and instructor Melanie McClintock (right). Credits: Shannon Carroll/@vividstorystudio

OVERALL WINNER Flowstate

College for Creative Studies – Maxim Van Duyne, Abigail Carballo, O'Dell Carson III, Amber Tao

RUNNER-UP AeroCellutions

McGill University – Carolyn Denton, Olivia Cozariuc, Lorenzo Costello, Meenakshi Pillai, Liberté Vaudandaine, Emma Bryson, Emma Louie, Taylor Rakowski, Mannat Chandok, Graham Chapman, Emmett Olthuis, Anisa Hashemi, Samathar Senso

BDC Prize for DNA Futures (supported by Twist Bioscience) Microshield+

Grace Church School – Henri Fiszel, Bear Ruxin-Cohn, Brayden Poole, Audrey Willscher, Niko Imm, Alec Chuchen, Isabel Agin, Jade Cho, Oluwanifemi Alabi, Juniper Kessler, Siena Green, Aran Goldfinger

BDC Prize for Biodigital Excellence Bloom Boards

Morris County School of Technology – Elle Maher, Ava Sahiwal, Ivanna Melnyk, Kate Blekicki, Emma Nelson, Julia Sztolberg

Outstanding Digital Submission (Supported by Terra) Upsurge

University of Tasmania – Emily Brown, Fay Harjanto, Alice Wilkinson, Jasmine Fast

OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT (supported by Siegel Family Endowment) Beeline

Morris County School of Technology – Sophia Kissling, Brendan Ma, Deshna Ranjan, Neeshtha Kapadia, Elizabeth Elden

Emergent Voice (supported by NEW INC) Living Matters

California College of the Arts, Architecture + UC San Francisco – Danielle Khoury Gregorio, Noor Alhashimi, Eason (Yicheng) Jiang, May (Zanmei) Wang, Asa Kalish

Outstanding art (supported by BioBAT Art Space) Muqaria

UDIT Madrid – Augusto Strumia, Alejandra Guzman, Lucía Sánchez Cuesta, Alondra García Belén

OUTSTANDING SCIENCE (supported by Genspace) MAÍZEiN Movement

The University of Texas at Austin – Brandon Nguyen, Selina Bakieva, Nahomi Vasquez, Joanna Du, Ella Baird

Outstanding Field Research (supported by Cambridge University Press) SPORES AND SPIRITS

Yunnan Arts University – He Jingrui, Li Zhilan, Cao Wenbo, Li Zihao, Su Lei, Zhang Hao, Hu Bohan, Wang Yaping, He Wanyu, Fang Yixuan

OUTSTANDING NARRATIVE Mr. Rain

Northumbria University – Mia Wheatley, Dannah Ryan-Munden

OUTSTANDING Exhibition Cell-Phonic

Maryland Institute College of Art – Megan Hilaker, Sabrina Ortega, Kanaan Jefferson

OUTSTANDING Institutional Collaboration Coastal Resonance

San Francisco State University – April Anderson, Dominic Taylor, Jason Lee

OUTSTANDING INSTRUCTOR Andrew Scarpelli, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Outstanding Instructor Andrew Scarpelli (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) with team. Credits: Shannon Carroll/@vividstorystudio

TOP 8 FINALIST TEAMS

Watch the Livestream of the Biodesign Challenge Summit 2026!

 
 

The following project videos will be shown during the BDC Summit 2026 Project Video Screenings from 11:45AM - 2:30PM:

  • Dominican International School Taipei, After the Lantern Falls - Inherited Light

    • Politecnico di Milano, Amyko

    • The Design Village, Hyphae - Decoding the Language Beneath the Soil

    • Petrichor Experimental Learning, Lepi

    • Universidad del Istmo, MICORA Modular Biofilter

    • HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, Shifting Knots | The Kromme Rijnr

    • Massachusetts College of Art and Design, SymBio Suit

    • LCI Barcelona, TEREREMATE

    • University of Tasmania, Upsurge

    • Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Puebla, BOTH

    • Universidad de los Andes, NIBO Snacks

    • Indiana University, LiveStock

    • University of Ljubljana, IKO

    • Morris County School of Technology, Coral Connections

    • University of Macau, Acoustic Symbiosis

    • Savannah College of Art and Design, Aquavex

    • UDIT Madrid, Muqaria

    • California College of the Arts Design, Monterey Concrete

    • Yunnan Arts University, SPORES AND SPIRITS - HEALING SPACE DESIGN

    • Art’n’Sci Collective, Beauty in the Flesh

    • Morris County School of Technology, Bloom Boards

    • Rye Country Day School, Saving the Sound with Oxyfloat

    • California College of the Arts + UC San Francisco, Living Matters

    • College for Creative Studies, FlowState

    • Universidad del Desarrollo, MYCORRA

    • The University of Texas at Austin, Maízein Movement

    • Keio University, TAIKA

    • School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Everbloom

    • Parsons School of Design, The Ooze

    • Savannah College of Art and Design, Poddy

    • Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus GDL/Puebla, Vestigia

    • Indiana University, PROPOLIS

    • University of Ljubljana, LEAFO

    • University of Michigan, Memorial Pod

    • Tecnológico de Monterrey, SANAVE

    • Massachusetts College of Art, Circular Home

    • Politecnico di Milano, MantaFlow Filter

    • HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, Memories in Cellulose

    • The Design Village, Urban Mangrovess here

Biodesign Challenge Summit 2026 Tickets

The Biodesign Challenge Summit returns to Parsons School of Design and the Museum of Modern Art between June 11-12, 2026! Join us as we celebrate cutting-edge biodesign projects from this year's student participants as they compete for special prizes and showcase their work at the 2026 gallery show, Convergent Life.

For a limited time only, we are offering the BDC community discounted "Early Bird" tickets, which can be accessed below. Tickets include access to all Summit events, including student presentations, keynote and panel talks, the final awards ceremony, and lunch at Parsons School of Design. We hope to see you this June!

Tickets Now Available

Location

June 11, 8:30am – 6:00pm | The New School, University Center
63 5th Ave, New York, NY 10003

June 11, 6:00pm – 8:00pm | Summit Gallery exhibition - The New School, Arnhold Hall
55 W 13th Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10011

June 12, 8:30am – 5:00pm | The Museum of Modern Art, Titus 1 Theater
11 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019
(Please check in at The Ronald S. and Jo Carole Lauder building entrance (MoMA Film entrance) east of the main entrance on W 53rd St.)

Schedule

  • 8:30am Registration

    9:00am Welcome Address

    9:20am Keynote Speaker // Rory O’Dea

    10:00am Session One // Student Presentations

    • Tishman Auditorium:

      • McGill University

      • Syracuse University

      • Maine College of Art & Design

    • Starr Foundation Hall:

      • University of Ljubljana

      • Tec de Monterrey - Campus GDL/Puebla

      • Maryland Institute College of Art

    • UL104 Lecture Hall:

      • Genspace

      • Savannah College of Art and Design - Poddy

      • New Design High School

    • UL105 Lecture Hall:

      • Universidad del Desarrollo

      • School of the Art Institute of Chicago

      • Stanford University

    10:45am Break

    11:00am Session Two // Student Presentations

    • Tishman Auditorium:

      • Northumbria University

      • Cornell University

      • Robert College of Istanbul

    • Starr Foundation Hall:

      • Yunnan Arts University

      • Forest Hills High School

      • University of Michigan

    • UL104 Lecture Hall:

      • Universidad de los Andes

      • DreamYard Prep

      • Indiana University

    • UL105 Lecture Hall:

      • College for Creative Studies

      • Fashion Institute of Technology

      • Academy for Software Engineering

    11:45am Break

    12:00pm Lunch

    1:30pm Keynote Speaker // Lola Ben-Alon

    2:00pm Break
    2:15pm Session Three // Student Presentations

    • Tishman Auditorium:

      • Tec de Monterrey - Team 3

      • Morris County School of Technology - Bloom Boards

      • California College of the Arts, Design

    • Starr Foundation Hall:

      • DreamYard + Marble Hill High School

      • California College of the Arts, Architecture + UC San Francisco

      • Morris County School of Technology - Beeline

    • UL104 Lecture Hall:

      • UDIT Madrid

      • Tec de Monterrey - Querétaro

      • San Francisco State University

    • UL105 Lecture Hall:

      • University of Pennsylvania

      • The University of Texas at Austin

      • Rye Country Day School

    3:00pm Break

    3:15pm Session Four // Student Presentations

    • Tishman Auditorium:

      • Art’n’Sci Collective

      • Parsons School of Design - The Ooze

      • University of Macau

    • Starr Foundation Hall:

      • Grace Church School

      • New York University IDM

      • Savannah College of Art and Design - Aquavex

    • UL104 Lecture Hall:

      • Parsons School of Design - Diwa Sankofa

      • New York University ITP

      • Auburn University

    • UL105 Lecture Hall:

      • Keio University

      • University of Richmond

      • Northside Charter High School

    4:00pm Closing Address

    6-8pm Gallery Show // Convergent Life // Arnhold Hall 55 W. 13th St.

  • 8:30am Registration

    9:00am Welcome & Finalist Announcement

    9:10am Performance // Wendi Yan

    9:30am Student Presentations

    10:30am Break

    10:45am Student Presentations

    11:45am Lunch and Digital Submissions

    2:15pm Alumni Impact Award // Noemi Florea

    2:30pm Keynote Speaker // Ray Nayler

    3:10pm Outstanding Digital Submission Winner

    3:20pm Awards Ceremony and Closing Remarks

    4:00pm Photos in the Garden

Summit Speakers & Performers


Gallery Show – Convergent Life

When: Thursday June 11th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: Arnhold Hall - Theresa Lang Center, 55 W 13th St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011

Life does not unfold in isolation: it evolves in a constant state of flux, with unique interactions between organisms, technologies, and environments informing its emergence. In an era of increasing complexity, these rapid transformations threaten our essential systems with unanticipated consequences. Biodesigners, however, are critically approaching this entangled network and guiding its trajectory towards biologically innovative paradigms. For the 11th annual Biodesign Challenge Gallery Show, Convergent Life, we are proud to present a collection of international student projects that reveal how microbial, ecological, anthropological, and technological systems intersect in ways as yet unforeseen.

In Convergent Life, familiar societal and material conventions are turned on their head. The works in this exhibition explore the interplay of agency across scales, seeking to understand the dynamics that shape our volatile reality. In doing so, these biodesign projects harness curiosity and wonder to lead our understanding of these strange yet vital connections toward reimagined systems that are configured for mutuality. From speculative futures to direct interventions in extractive infrastructures, these students are asking a deeper question: what new forms of convergence can emerge when we design with life?

Summit Judges


 
Code of Conduct Available here
 

Beyond the Summit

Join the Biodesign Sprint: Biodigital Futures program!

Register a classroom or team for BDC 2026→

Or first book is a compilation of projects and ideas that are influencing the emerging field of biodesign.

Learn more and preorder the BDC book→

BDC 2026 Sponsors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thank you to everyone who has made our BDC Summit so inspiring!

If you'd like to sponsor or support BDC to provide opportunities for our students, follow the link below to learn more about ways you can support us.

Support BDC

The Biodesign Challenge Summit 2026 is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.