Universal, Ringling partner for theme park design competition for high-schoolers

The first opportunity for many new themed entertainment professionals is designing a cart that not only needs to enhance its location—which may represent a specific period of time or storytelling theme—but also needs to serve an operational purpose like selling food or merchandise or providing location-based information.

The Universal and Ringling theme park design competition offers a unique opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to design their original themed cart for imagined use in Universal Studios theme parks. This means designs can’t be based on intellectual property from any existing Disney or Universal parks, giving aspiring theme park designs the chance to create something completely new.

The theme park design competition is open to all U.S. high school students enrolled in grades 11 and 12 during the 2025-26 school year.

Winners will be determined by a panel of entertainment design professionals and Ringling faculty who will evaluate entries based on how well the cart serves its operational purpose, whether the design will work in a theme park setting, the originality and creativity of the design, visual appeal, and how well the design fits with the Universal brand.

Judges:

• Merritt Andrews, Manager, Graphics Implementation & Fabrication at Universal Creative
• Josh Jaillet, Attraction Designer at Universal Creative
• Aaron (A.J.) Jeromin, Lead Creative Technologist, ATI R&D at Universal Creative
• Megan Robinson, Senior Figure Animator at Universal Creative
• Mike Woodcock, Senior Manager, Graphics Fabrication and Implementation at Universal Creative
• Ying Wu, Senior Figure Animator at Universal Creative
• Jamie DeRuyter, Ringling College of Art and Design Department Head, Entertainment Design
• Seongwoo Nam, Ringling College of Art and Design Faculty, Entertainment Design
• Greg Randle, Ringling College of Art and Design Faculty, Entertainment Design

Theme Park Design Competition Prizes

Submitted work from all finalists will be included in an exhibition at Universal Creative and/or a Universal Studios-owned facility.

Up to three top winners will receiveexclusive VIP “behind-the-scenes” experiences with Universal Studios, including complimentary travel and accommodations, plus the winners will receive the following prizes from Ringling College:

• $20,000 tuition scholarship to a Ringling College of Art and Design undergraduate program (non-transferable, dependent upon acceptance into the major of choice for Fall 2026 or Fall 2027)
• Full tuition scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design’s PreCollege program (non-transferable, applicable for Summer 2026 or Summer 2027)*
• Half tuition scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design’s PreCollege program (non-transferable, applicable for Summer 2026 or Summer 2027)*

*Value of PreCollege tuition scholarships can be applied to the undergraduate program if desired (full tuition equates to $5,000 tuition scholarship, and half tuition equates to $2,500 tuition scholarship).

All remaining finalists will receive a Ringling College/Universal Studios merchandise prize package.

How to Enter

To enter the Universal and Ringling theme park design competition, eligible high school students must submit their design using the process specified in the project brief.

Submissions open on Sept. 1, 2025.

Important Dates & Deadlines:

• Sept. 1 through Nov. 30, 2025: Submission portal opens
• Nov. 30, 2025: Final deadline for all entries
• January 2026: Winners announced