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!
Biodesign Challenge 2026
This year marks Biodesign Challenge 2026, an international education program for high school and college students that introduces the intersection of biotechnology, art, and design and connects them to a global network of leaders in academia, industry, and entrepreneurship who are defining the field of biodesign. BDC aims to pioneer, envision, create, and critique transformational applications in biotech.
Chornozem, Zurich University of the Arts, 2025.
ECO-SKIN (Parsons School of Design), Presentation at MoMA, 2025. Photo credit: Shannon Carroll.
The Summit
Finalists from schools across the globe gather in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art and Parsons School of Design to showcase their projects before leading thinkers in academia, industry, art, and design, and 400+ audience members. Teams compete for prizes, including the coveted grand prize—the Glass Microbe. See the projects and winners from our 10th annual Biodesign Challenge below, where students from 60+ schools across 20+ countries presented their work to an international audience.
The BDC Book: Grow the Future
Selected from hundreds of artworks and designs from BDC, our first book is a compilation of projects and ideas that are influencing the emerging field of biodesign. In their own words, pioneers and BDC alumni explore the future of biodesign and its role in shaping people’s identities, cultures, and relationships with the living environment. Beyond being a primer, the book is a celebration of the first five years of our program and a deep dive into the minds behind biodesign. We are currently sold out of the book—click the button below to be the first to know when it’s available.
