What happens when you give a group of kids a problem without telling them how to solve it?
They come up with ideas you never would have imagined—and learn valuable skills along the way.
That’s what the Destination Imagination (DI) Challenge Experience is all about. As the 2026–27 season gets underway, students worldwide are forming teams, sharing their ideas, and discovering what they can accomplish as both individuals and as a team.
This season brings seven new STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) Challenges where students will build sorting systems, create scientific demonstrations, bring original stories to life, and find creative ways to make a difference in their communities.
The best part? The students are in charge.
More Than a Challenge: Skills That Last
The DI Challenge Experience is a hands-on, student-led program where teams of up to seven students choose a Team Challenge (i.e., Technical, Scientific, Fine Arts) and spend several months developing their own solutions. Using the DI Creative Process, they research, brainstorm, design, build, test, and improve their ideas. At the end of the season, teams have the opportunity to present their solutions at a local tournament.
There’s no single right way to solve a DI Challenge. Because the Challenges are open-ended, students have the freedom to explore different approaches, experiment with their ideas, and come up with solutions that reflect their team’s creativity and interests.
Team Managers (often teachers or parents) help keep teams organized and encourage students throughout the season. However, they cannot contribute ideas or solutions. Students must make the decisions and do the work.
DI brings together students with all kinds of interests and strengths. Some love science, engineering, or figuring out how things work. Others enjoy storytelling, performing, or creating art. And some students discover interests and abilities they never knew they had.
As they work together, students learn from one another, build on their individual strengths, and develop new skills along the way. They become better communicators, collaborators, and critical and creative thinkers. They gain confidence in their abilities and learn to keep going when things don’t work out as planned.
These are skills they’ll carry with them long after the DI season ends, including in school, in relationships, in their careers, and in everyday situations that call for creativity and perseverance.
Explore This Season’s Team Challenges
Each season, DI introduces seven new Team Challenges, each with its own unique requirements and opportunities for creative problem-solving.
Here’s what teams are working on for the 2026–27 season:
Get Sorted (Technical): Teams will design and build a sorting system and incorporate it into a story about a character who ends up somewhere they don’t belong.
Under Investigation (Engineering): Teams will build a weight measurement system and incorporate it into a story about an investigation of an unusual occurrence.
Lab Legends (Scientific): Teams will tell the story of two rivals pursuing the same goal, complete with demonstrations of applied science and a live-action montage.
Act Natural (Fine Arts): Teams will create an original fable featuring non-human characters, natural materials, interactive scenery, and an animated prop.
Just Duet (Improvisational): Teams will bring a famous duo into a ridiculous situation and improvise a two-act story.
Game Changers (Service Learning): Teams will design and carry out a project that addresses a real community need and share what they accomplished through a theatrical presentation set in a video game world.
Feeling Wild (Early Learning / non-competitive): Teams will explore how animals use their senses and create a story about animals discovering a mysterious object.
Explore the full 2026–27 Challenge Previews to learn more about each Challenge and see what your team could create this season!
And Then There’s Instant Challenge!
Along with their Team Challenge, students practice solving Instant Challenges throughout the season. These short, timed activities challenge teams to think quickly, communicate effectively, and work together to solve an unfamiliar problem using only the materials and time provided.
At their tournament, teams receive an Instant Challenge they’ve never seen before. They might be asked to build something using a limited set of materials, create an impromptu performance, or combine both—all within a short time limit.
Without time to rehearse or help from adults, students put the skills they’ve practiced all season to work as they solve a new problem together.
Join Us for the 2026–27 Season!
Everyone has a place in the DI Challenge Experience.
Whether you’re a parent interested in starting a team, an educator or principal looking for a hands-on learning experience for your students, or a returning Team Manager excited for another season, we’d love to have you join us!
Ready to get creating? Start your team today or find your local DI Affiliate to learn more about the program in your area and how to get involved.
Try DI in Your Classroom
Curious about what the DI Challenge Experience is like? Our free Creative Process Guide includes 10 hands-on STEAM activities inspired by DI’s Instant Challenges. They’re a fun way to introduce your students to the DI Creative Process and experience a little of what makes DI unique.
Download our Free Creative Process Guide.
