Biodesign Challenge
Classroom Resources Page
Welcome instructors!
We're excited that your classroom will be joining us this year. As you know, Biodesign Challenge (BDC) offers students the opportunity to envision the future of biotechnology in a competition that highlights their work.
Over Spring Semester 2026, classrooms of students from around the world will partner with biologists and subject-matter experts to explore novel uses of biotech and/or their potential implications. In June, each school will choose one team to showcase a project at the BDC Summit at Parsons School of Design and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The information below includes resources and important dates to help you plan your course as well as a to-do list to help you organize your class. We ask that you read through this material carefully as there are quite a few tasks to complete that will allow our team to effectively support you.
Staff
Please feel free to contact BDC staff at any time. We are available to give feedback on student projects throughout the semester, but request that meetings be scheduled two weeks in advance.
Michael Balangue, Program Director
mbalangue@biodesignchallenge.orgPaul Rubery, Executive Director
prubery@biodesignchallenge.org
To-Do List
Accept Canvas invite. In order to provide resources to you, BDC uses an online platform called Canvas. You will receive a separate email from “Canvas Instructure” asking you to sign up. Please note that your role will be "student."
Watch the Canvas Tutorial Video. Canvas is our main channel for communication during the Challenge, so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible. If you need help with signing up or navigating Canvas, we've created a short tutorial that introduces the platform and resources stored there.
Complete Class Description and Theme Form. We require instructors to complete a short form for our staff to better understand the course and match you with appropriate resources and expert consultants. Once the form is submitted, we can suggest resources that are relevant to your theme.
Send Michael your students’ names and emails. To give students access to the BDC Canvas page, we need their names and emails. Once your semester begins and you know your roster, please send this information as soon as possible! You can email Michael at mbalangue@biodesignchallenge.org.
Haven’t taught a BDC class before? Watch the Curriculum Development video and schedule a check-in call with us! We've created a curriculum development video that gives an overview of our resources and highlights notable readings. Once you review this video, you’re welcome to schedule a time with us to discuss your syllabus.
Check out the prizes and judging process. You can find more information on the Prizes page and the Judging page or in their respective sections below. There are relevant updates especially for instructors who have participated in previous years and/or those who will be participating virtually.
Introduce yourself on the Biodesign Community Discord! The Biodesign Community Discord serves as a communication platform and directory of the BDC community, and we have specific channels for BDC instructors. We would like for the Discord to serve as a resource for instructors and our broader community to connect with each other, share ideas, and provide examples of curricula.
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This section includes important dates and deadlines during the Fall Semester 2025 and Spring Semester 2026. Please note that some of these dates are subject to change - we ask that you refer to this page frequently for the most up to date information.
FALL AND WINTER 2025
September 25: Early bird registration ends / Regular registration opens
As soon as possible: Instructors who would like mentor and curriculum support should complete the 2026 Course Description and Theme Form. BDC staff uses data from this form to match your class with relevant resources and expert consultants. The sooner you complete this form, the more time we have to spend on your classroom! Latest date to complete the form: February 21st at 5pm Eastern Time (please email Michael if you need an extension).
September - December: Scheduled curriculum check-in sessions for new instructors (please email Michael to set up an appointment)
SPRING 2026
January - February: Continuing scheduled curriculum check-in sessions for new instructors (please email Michael to set up an appointment)
January - March: BDC 2026 Classes begin
February 14: Syllabus (optional) + names and emails of participating students due – It is recommended that instructors send students emails sooner so we can give them Canvas access
February 21: Last chance for instructors to submit 2026 Course Description and Theme Form to receive support for their classroom
March - April: BDC 2026 Webinar Series (speakers TBA)
March - April: Mid-Challenge Check-ins (BDC staff will send out an email ahead of time with instructions)
May 29, 5pm ET: Deadline to submit Finalist Team images (to be featured in BDC social and promotional materials). Please email info@biodesignchallenge.org with any photos, illustrations, or renderings you'd like to see featured. You can submit materials by uploading to the provided Google Drive School Folder.
June 5, 5pm ET: Deadline to submit Non-Finalist Student Projects to BDC
Non-Finalist Teams – those who will not be presenting at the Summit – should submit any materials they've created throughout the semester to the BDC team by uploading materials to the provided Google Drive School Folder. These materials will be added to your school's page on the BDC website for posterity. A Non-finalist Submission Form link will be added here in late April.
Non-Finalist Project Videos due. Teams are required to upload their 1-5 minute videos to their provided Google Drive School Folder. For non-finalist teams, their project videos will be shown during breaks at the Summit and showcased on the BDC school page.
June 5, 5pm ET: Deadline to Submit Digital Submission + In-person Finalist Team Files (late submissions will not be accepted)
Finalist Team Presentations due (no exceptions). Teams are required to upload their final presentations to their provided Google Drive School Folder in either PPT or Keynote with separate video files.
Please note that video files will have no audio if they are included in an in-person presentation at the Summit. A Finalist Submission Form link will be added here in late April.
Finalist Team Project Videos due. Teams are required to upload their 1-5 minute videos to their provided Google Drive School Folder. Please note that this video is a separate submission and should not be included in the presentation.
June 9-10: Students to come in for Gallery Exhibition setup
June 10: BDC Symposium 2025
June 11-12: BDC Summit 2025 + Gallery Exhibition in New York
June 13: Farewell Activities, Instructor Feedback Session, BDC Community Excursions
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This section includes all the resources BDC offers during the Challenge. We ask that you look through these carefully and reach out to the BDC staff with any questions. It is not required to use all of these resources, but we recommend taking advantage of as many as you can!
CANVAS
Canvas houses our online library of resources, which includes an extensive collection of readings, webinars, project videos, and more. It is also our main source of communication with instructors and students: where we announce upcoming webinars, send reminders about imminent deadlines, etc. If you haven’t been added to Canvas already, please reach out to the BDC team. Once you know your roster for the semester, you can reach out to us with your students’ emails so they can be added to the course as well.COURSE DESCRIPTION FORM
Please fill out the Course Description Form so that we can provide your classroom with the most relevant resources and mentors.MENTOR MATCHMAKING
BDC provides each classroom with a list of expert consultants. Instructors are welcome to reach out to additional mentors as well. Mentors to be announced soon.BDC ARCHIVE
We have archived all student project material and Summit programming since the beginning of the program. This can be a helpful source of inspiration for student projects or themes. You can find the BDC Archive here.PUBLIC RESOURCES
This page has a list of resources for those in the general public who may not know about biodesign. The resources are based on common themes that arise from biodesign projects, including Architecture + Materials, Bioethics & Social Justice, Bioteech as Protest, Energy, Fashion, Food, Medicine, and Water.PROJECT GUIDELINES
This is a quick-start guide for students as they initiate their biodesign projects. It provides guidance on important considerations as they develop their projects. The accompanying illustrations were done by BDC alumnus Liv Bargman. -
CLASS ORIENTATION
BDC offers virtual and in-person class visits where members of our staff will provide an overview presentation of the program as well as answer any questions you or the students may have. You can find the Class Intro Presentation here and sign up for a Class Visit here.
MID-SEMESTER REVIEW
BDC offers virtual and in-person mid-semester review check-ins where students can present their projects for feedback from members of our staff. These typically occur between March and April. You can sign up for a mid-semester review here.
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BDC 2026 Events TBA
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BDC 2026 Webinar info to be added soon
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BDC provides each school with a Google Drive folder as a central location to collect classroom photos, student project descriptions, example videos, and more. This will serve as a helpful resource for both non-finalist and finalist team content to be shared on the BDC website after the Summit. Please contact Michael if you have not received a Google Drive folder.
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Summit 2026 logistics will be added soon!
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PROCESS & RUBRIC
Please see this page for more detailed information about the judging process and rubric. Each year, judging occurs in three rounds:
In the classroom, where the instructor will decide on a finalist team to attend the Summit
On the first day of the Summit, all teams will present and each of the four judging panels will select two teams to progress to Day 2.
The top teams present to the full judging panel who will choose prize winners.
The projects are judged based on the following four criteria:
Concept
Narrative
Reflection
Context
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This year, we have the following prizes:
Overall Winner/Grand Prize
Runner-Up
Biodesign Challenge Prize for DNA Futures
Biodesign Challenge Prize for Biodigital Excellence
Outstanding Art
Outstanding Display
Outstanding Field Research
Outstanding High School Project
Outstanding Narrative
Outstanding Science
Outstanding Social Critique
Outstanding Digital Submission
Outstanding Institutional Collaboration
Outstanding Instructor
All teams that present in-person at the Summit are eligible for the Outstanding Prizes (except for Outstanding Instructor). Teams that are not able to attend the Summit in-person are only eligible for the Outstanding Video prize. Only the Top 8 teams are eligible for the Grand Prize and Runner-Up Prize, but all finalist teams are eligible for the Outstanding Prizes. The Outstanding Instructor prize is awarded based on a call for nominations from students.
Please see the Prizes page for more details about each prize.