January 30th - February 1st, 2026
About
Students will create a prototype of an app or website (no coding required) that addresses a specific problem. During the design-a-thon, students will have the opportunity to attend beginner-friendly workshops and meet student designers from all across the country. All experience levels are welcome. Registration is open to undergraduate students living in the US.
Event rules
All members of your team must be an undergraduate college student with an associated institutional email. Bootcamp students are NOT allowed unless they show proof of undergraduate student enrollment.
Teams must not exceed four people total.
Each team may only submit one submission.
All work submitted to Rice Design-a-thon must be original work. Any submissions with plagiarized work will be disqualified.
You may not submit work previously designed before Rice Design-a-thon. All designs must be made between the dates of January 30th, 2026 to February 1st, 2026.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
If there are any adjustments made to your prototype after Sunday, February 1st 10:00 AM CST, your submission will not be considered for judging.
Schedule
All in Central Standard Time (CST). The passcode for all meetings is 877703.
Friday, January 30th
Saturday, January 31st
2:00-3:00 PM: How to Design at Industry Level (Visual + Interaction Design) with Naheel Jawaid
Prizes
Additional prizes include Figma swag, free subscriptions to Axure RP Team Edition, and extended trials to Balsamiq!
Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse 👾
Popmart Gift Cards ✨
Judges
Allison He
Product Designer @ SeatGeek
Grace Susilo
Senior Product Designer @ EY Studio+
Jake Laviola
Experience Designer @ Expedia
Isaac Wen
Chi Quach
Product Designer @ Meta
Chuck Aligbe
Senior UX Designer @ VML
