west michigan
DESIGN PRIZE
The West Michigan Design Prize competition connects students in upper elementary and middle school with advisers from local businesses and colleges as the students develop a solution to a proposed design problem.
The Greater West Michigan (GWM) MiSTEM Region and Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) partnered with Kent ISD, Muskegon Area ISD, and Ottawa Area ISD to co-develop and pilot a student design thinking competition - the West Michigan Design Prize.
Inspired by the state-wide Michigan Design Prize, the regionalized version of the competition was designed to provide a hands-on, real world learning experience that fosters creative problem solving and innovation as students collaboratively developed solutions to a design prompt. The design challenge posed to teams was, "How can your team design a creative product that encourages everyone in our community to connect and enjoy public spaces?"
A limited number of students and teachers in the upper elementary and middle school grade bands within Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties worked in teams to develop ideas (products, spaces, etc.) that encouraged people in their community to connect and enjoy public spaces. Students interacted with their community and industry professionals throughout the challenge to develop empathy and gather feedback on their ideas.
Multiple collaborators in the region came together to realize the culminating Showcase event on February 27, 2025, at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Undergraduate college students from various design-focused academic programs at KCAD worked with participating student teams to bring their ideas to life through a visual rendering. The illustrations were displayed within a team poster as students pitched their solution to a jury of creative professionals from the community. Winning teams received Olympic-style medals that were designed and produced by students in a mechanical and architectural design class at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC). Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Visual and Media Arts student interns captured video of the student pitches and live streamed the awards ceremony for community viewing.
The experiment generated a great deal of excitement among the students, teachers, and community participants throughout the six-month process. One of the participating students reflected on the value of the experience saying that "I really got to be creative and actually figure out a plan to help solve a problem that matters to me.” Evidence of student learning around creativity and innovation was evident in the student concepts, prototypes, and rich narratives woven into their posters and pitches.
The GWM MiSTEM Region, KCAD, and the three ISD partners are looking forward to evaluating the outcomes of the pilot, reviewing feedback gathered from all stakeholders, and discussing how to move forward with the initiative. Look for more information about future plans for the West Michigan Design Prize in August, 2025.
west michigan DESIGN PRIZE showcase february 2025
