There is an exciting and completely different type of challenge currently running on LEGO Ideas. The LEGO Design Student Challenge is a unique opportunity open to students over 18 years old, with the LEGO Ideas community playing an important role. Below is all the info you need.
Small Invitation to Explore Big Ideas
Culture no longer moves in one direction. Creativity today grows from local scenes, niche communities, and personal perspectives. Young creators explore stories across borders — inspired by regional music, online subcultures, local traditions, and new forms of expression that travel far beyond their origins.
For designers, this shift opens new creative territory. The challenge is no longer to design for a single mainstream audience, but to observe closely, understand communities, and translate real cultural moments into meaningful experiences. That’s exactly what the LEGO Design Student Challenge is about.
Created for students in a design-related field and hosted on LEGO Ideas, this challenge invites emerging designers older than 18 years to explore contemporary culture through the LEGO brick — not to create perfect models, but to experiment, reflect, and share.
Design Students & the LEGO Ideas Community
Some participants may already feel at home building with LEGO bricks. Others might be exploring them for the very first time as a design tool. Both perspectives are welcome — and equally valuable.
The LEGO Group chose LEGO Ideas as the home for this challenge because of the unique creative culture that lives here. The community understands that ideas begin with curiosity and evolve through dialogue. Builders on LEGO Ideas have long transformed personal passions, humour, and cultural observations into playful design stories.
For design students, this creates a space to learn from experienced creators and to test new ways of thinking through play. And for the LEGO Ideas community, it offers a chance to meet a new generation of designers — many of whom may be discovering LEGO creativity from a completely fresh perspective. Together, this becomes more than a challenge. It becomes a shared creative exchange.
Designing from Culture, Not from Trends Alone
Today’s cultural landscape is shaped by countless small communities rather than one dominant mainstream. Local identities travel globally. Digital platforms connect niche audiences. Personal stories resonate across continents.
In this challenge, students are invited to look closely at the world around them and translate contemporary culture into playful design explorations.
An idea might reflect a local celebration or daily ritual. It could explore a digital fandom, a creative online movement, or a street culture rooted in music or fashion. It might capture a micro-community that inspires belonging, or a personal experience shaped by place and identity.
Design thinking plays a central role. How do color palettes communicate emotion or culture? How do forms and structures express behaviour or interaction? How can storytelling transform observations into playful experiences?
Submissions may take many shapes — sketches, prototypes, rough models, visual narratives, or hybrid explorations. A polished LEGO model is welcome, but not required. What matters most is curiosity, experimentation, and the journey of ideas as they evolve.
Learning, Exploring, and Possibly Taking a Next Step
For some students, participating in the LEGO Design Student Challenge may also become part of their application journey toward an upcoming LEGO Design Internship in Concept/Model Design. Sharing work through the challenge gives the LEGO Group insight into how emerging designers approach exploration, storytelling, and creative thinking.
Most importantly, the LEGO Group hopes this challenge encourages students — especially those who may not yet see themselves as “LEGO builders” — to experiment freely and to discover new creative confidence through play.
Help Build the Builders of Tomorrow
To the LEGO Ideas community: your voice matters more than ever. Many students will be sharing work publicly for the first time. A thoughtful comment can build confidence. A curious question can open a new design direction.
Your encouragement can help emerging designers feel welcome in a creative space that might still be new to them. By engaging with these students, you help shape how the next generation experiences LEGO creativity through diverse voices and perspectives.
Join the Journey
Anyone from the LEGO Ideas community can participate in the challenge, but only design students over 18 years old can apply for the internship. The challenge is open until March 18th. If you’re interested in participating, or you know students who would be good candidates, you can read the rules and other details and submit your entry on the LEGO Design Student Challenge Page.
Feel free to share any thoughts or questions about the challenge in the comment section below! And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
What a great opportunity! If I was younger, I would totally give this a shot!