Destination Imagination (DI) is a nonprofit educational program where teams of young people solve open-ended challenges rooted in STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and present their solutions at tournaments. Run by a 501(c)(3) organization, DI operates in dozens of countries and serves participants from preschool through the university level. Its mission is to inspire youth to imagine and innovate through the creative process, building skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and improvisation along the way.
How the Program Works
Each season, Destination Imagination publishes a set of challenge categories. Teams of students pick one challenge, then spend weeks or months designing and rehearsing a solution. The catch: adults can guide the process, but they cannot solve the problem for the team. Students do the research, build the props, write the scripts, and make the decisions themselves. This student-driven philosophy is central to DI and distinguishes it from many other youth competitions.
Solutions typically combine a live performance element with a hands-on technical or creative component. At a tournament, teams present their solution to a panel of trained appraisers (judges) who score them on creativity, teamwork, and how well they met the challenge requirements. Teams that score high enough at a local or regional tournament can advance to the Global Finals, DI’s world championship event.
The Six Challenge Categories
DI offers six main challenge types each season, and teams choose one to focus on:
- Technical: Requires engineering, research, and strategic planning to complete specific tasks.
- Engineering: Asks students to design and build physical structures or devices for a particular application.
- Scientific: Blends scientific research with creative performance art.
- Fine Arts: Develops skills in theater arts, scriptwriting, prop design, and artistic media.
- Improvisational: Centers on research, spontaneity, and storytelling, with teams producing skits on the spot.
- Service Learning: Engages students in public service projects that address real community issues.
Challenge details change every season, so teams face a fresh problem each year. The specific prompts within each category are released at the start of the season, giving teams several months to develop their solutions before tournament time.
Instant Challenges
Beyond the main team challenge, every team at a tournament also faces an Instant Challenge. This is a surprise problem revealed on the spot, and teams have just minutes to solve it. Instant Challenges account for 25% of a team’s overall tournament score, so they carry real weight.
There are three types. Performance-based Instant Challenges ask teams to create and act out a theatrical response, sometimes using words and sometimes entirely nonverbal. Task-based challenges require teams to build, move, or protect something using provided materials. Some challenges combine both elements. Because the specific Instant Challenge is kept confidential until the moment a team enters the room, teams prepare by practicing all three types throughout the season rather than studying for a particular problem. There is no single right answer. Appraisers evaluate how creatively and collaboratively teams respond.
Age Levels and Team Structure
DI is organized into five competitive levels based on age and grade:
- Rising Stars: Preschool through 2nd grade (a non-competitive, introductory experience).
- Elementary Level: Kindergarten through 5th grade.
- Middle Level: 6th through 8th grade.
- Secondary Level: 9th through 12th grade.
- University Level: Full-time or part-time post-secondary students, military members, or college-bound high school seniors taking accredited college courses.
Teams can include members from different grades, but the oldest member determines the competition level. If a team of six 5th graders has one 6th grader, the whole team competes at the Middle Level. Each team also needs at least one adult Team Manager who oversees logistics and ensures the students are safe, though the manager does not contribute to the solution itself.
Registration Costs
For the 2026-27 season, team registration inside the U.S. costs $165 per team at the early bird rate (available mid-May through mid-July) and $175 at the standard rate after that. Each Team Manager who is 18 or older also needs a background check, which costs $25.
Organizations registering many teams can get volume discounts: 5% off for 10 to 19 teams, scaling up to 25% off for 100 or more. On top of the national registration fee, local affiliates (the regional organizations that run DI in your area) may charge their own fees to cover tournament venues, supplies, and operations. These affiliate fees vary by location and may be bundled with the team number purchase or collected separately.
If a team qualifies for Global Finals, the registration fee jumps significantly: $5,500 per U.S. team and $5,000 per non-U.S. team for the 2026 event. Travel, lodging, and meals at Global Finals are additional costs that families and teams typically fundraise for throughout the season.
The Tournament Path
The competitive season follows a progression. Teams first present their solutions at a local or regional tournament organized by their affiliate. Top-scoring teams advance to an affiliate-level tournament, and the highest performers there earn a spot at Global Finals. The entire arc, from challenge release to Global Finals, spans roughly an academic year, with most local tournaments happening in late winter or spring.
At each level, teams are scored on the same core criteria: how well they addressed the challenge requirements, the creativity of their solution, and how effectively they worked as a team. Scoring also includes the Instant Challenge component. Because challenges are designed to have many possible solutions, two teams can take wildly different approaches to the same prompt and both score well.
What Participants Actually Get Out of It
DI is built around what educators call 21st-century skills: creative problem solving, collaboration, project management, and the ability to think on your feet. Students practice pitching ideas, resolving disagreements, managing a budget for props and materials, and presenting their work under pressure. For younger participants, it can be a first experience working on a long-term group project. For older students, the skills translate directly into college applications and workplace readiness.
The program is also genuinely fun in a way that standard classroom projects often are not. Teams build elaborate contraptions, write original plays, design costumes, and perform in front of an audience. Many participants return season after season, and it is common for DI alumni to credit the program with shaping how they approach problems as adults.
How to Get Involved
Teams are typically formed through schools, community organizations, homeschool groups, or after-school programs. A parent, teacher, or other adult volunteers as Team Manager, registers the team on the DI website, and selects a challenge category. From there, the team meets regularly to develop their solution over the course of several months.
If no team exists in your area, you can start one. The DI website connects you with your local affiliate, which can provide guidance, training materials for Team Managers, and information about upcoming tournaments. Registration for the 2026-27 season opens in mid-May, and the early bird window closes in mid-July.