Design on your own time until Oct 23rd, win real prizes!
A self-paced online design challenge from Oct 1 – Oct 23, 2026.
Take it on to grow your creative skills and compete for prizes worth over $30K. Joining the in-person Hackathon is optional, but if you'd like to join, Figma Challenge finishers can apply for one of 51 spots.
Prizes
1 winner
Food/travel stipend for NYC
+ invitation to the NYC finale
Project featured on social media
1 winner
Food/travel stipend for NYC
Invitation to join the NYC hackathon
Project featured on social media
1 winner
Food/travel stipend for NYC
Invitation to join the NYC hackathon
Project featured on social media
7 winners
Project featured on social media
10 winners
Project featured on social media
Gifts
10 winners
Goodie bags worth of $200
Eligibility
Open to all currently enrolled students
Open to designers, technologists, and creatives of all levels
Must be 18+
Open internationally, no geographic restriction to take part in the Challenge itself
Submit a PDF export of your Figma Slides deck, plus a shareable Figma link (tip: publish it as a Figma Community file so we can view it without edit access to your original)
For those applying to the Figma Challenge and opting in to the in-person Hackathon: spots are limited to the Top 51, and you must be able to travel to New York City for November 20–21.
For students:
Must have verified Figma for Education email. Visit https://www.figma.com/education/apply to verify your email. Email figmasupport@sheerid.com if you need support.
Apply Now
The Design Challenge:
NYC is vibrant. NYC is loud.
New Yorkers file roughly 610,000 noise complaints a year, the single most common complaint in the city (Source: NYC Open Data, 311). Most people who file one never find out what happened. Design a creative noise complaint solution where New Yorker actually gets closure.
Choose one track, or do all if you wish.
1. Brand | Use Figma Design
Give the service a name, a logo, and a poster. Feel free to use Figma Buzz for templates and inspirations.
2. Product | Use Figma Make or Figma agent
What would it feel like to be heard by your city? Reporting, tracking, seeing the pattern, knowing someone acted. Pick the part that matters most to you and imagine it. It could be an app. It could be a text thread, a map, a sound, or a screen that doesn’t exist yet. Think delivery tracker, but for being listened to.
3. Motion | Figma Design and Figma Motion
Design something, then make it move. Two ways in:
Start with the brand. Create a logo, icon, or poster for the service, then animate it. Maybe a logo that assembles, an icon that pulses like a sound wave, or a poster where one line of type refuses to sit still.
Start with the product. Design a screen or flow, then animate a moment within it. The complaint being sent. A status changing. A notification that tells you someone actually listened.
Apply Now
How to get started in Figma & Apply
01
02
Choose a Figma presentation template
Tutorial here.
03
Add 1-pager of an introduction of yourself
Make sure to include your name, and add any additional information as you wish.
04
Add any portfolio highlights if you wish
05
Add the Figma challenge solutions into the presentation
06
Export and download PDF
Tutorial here.
07
Log into the application platform.
08
Upload PDF in your application form.
09
Add Figma presentation link (ensure to Share -> Anyone can view).
How to publish as a community file, making sure everyone can see it? View here
10
Write 150 words explaining your Figma challenge solution
What you designed, how it helps New Yorkers, and why you made the design choices you did.
Winners will be announced on October 30th, 5PM EST.
