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Prompts
Click on track titles to see the judging rubrics.
General Track
Chaos into Clarity
Notability empowers people to capture ideas, organize thoughts, and express creativity — whether through notes, sketches, or multimedia. In a world full of information, ideas, and distractions, finding clarity can be a challenge. Thoughts come in fragments, inspiration arrives all at once, and meaning can easily get lost in the noise. From classrooms to creative spaces, Notability helps turn scattered thoughts into something clear and meaningful.
Inspired by Google Gemini, we reimagine how technology and design can work together to organize ideas, spark creativity, and bring clarity to complexity. While Google gives us access to endless information, tools like Gemini help bring it together into clarity. This track invites participants of all backgrounds to explore how design can help transform chaos into clarity — shaping experiences that make sense of the overwhelming, the messy, and the undefined.
Rather than focusing on perfect solutions, this track emphasizes exploration, process, and perspective. How can design create moments of understanding? How can it guide someone from confusion to confidence, from noise to meaning? Whether you're an artist, engineer, writer, or just someone with an idea, this track is about making design approachable and meaningful.
* All participants of this track must use Notability and Gemini as tools to ideate.
Professional Track
Constellations of Possibility
EAT Studio helps brands shape bold identities and meaningful design experiences, working with companies like Amazon, Netflix, Adidas, Red Bull, Activision, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Samsung, and Twitch.
Some of the most meaningful ideas begin as fragments — an early concept, a bold vision, or a new way of seeing the world. This track explores how design can bring those ideas to life while staying rooted in real communities and cultural experiences.
Inspired by Irvine staples, Menya Hanabi and Auntea Jenny, brands rooted in flavor, culture, and community, participants will design products, identities, or experiences that not only feel compelling as brands, but also resonate deeply with the people they serve. Like a memorable meal or a go-to neighborhood spot, the strongest brands create connection, evoke emotion, and become part of everyday rituals.
Consider how design can translate culture, memory, and experience into something tangible. Whether it's designing community-driven experiences or launching a concept that bridges culture, memory, and identity through thoughtful design, participants are encouraged to turn creative sparks into constellations of possibility.
Prizes
For all explorers
This track invites participants of all backgrounds to explore how design can help transform chaos into clarity.
Sponsored by Gemini & Notability
For seasoned designers
This track explores how design can bring bold visions to life, turning creative sparks into constellations of possibility.
Sponsored by Menya Hanabi & Auntea Jenny & EAT Studio
Beyond the podium
Celebrating creativity, boldness, and the community's favorites.
Keynote Speakers
Aneesha Bharadwaj
Product Designer @ Amazon
Shirley Guo
Founding UX Designer @ Suger
Renata Amaral Morris
Founder / CEO @ EAT Studio
Jonathan Yu
Senior UX Motion Designer @ Twitch
Jonathan Larson
Tabi Places @ Founder
Judges
Christy Seguritan
UI/UX Design Associate @ Deloitte Digital
Haven Park
Product Designer @ Folio
Justin Nguyen
Senior Product Designer @ Ingram Micro
Jamie Lee
PhD Student @ UCI Informatics
Haron Yam
Product Designer @ eBay
Nataliia Dykun
UX UI Designer II @ CoStar
Ryan Bell
Senior Product Designer, Studio Management @ Netflix
Josephine Lo
Product Designer @ LA Fitness
Jonathan Yu
Senior UX Motion Designer @ Twitch
Ruijingya Tang
Product Designer @ Chartmetric
Nikki Robyn Apostol
Product Designer @ eBay
Nicole Roberts
Senior Product Designer @ Instacart
Tanvi Pisal
UX Designer @ Apple
Iris Li
Product Designer @ Meta
Victor Tran
Product Design Intern @ SAP
John Daniel Norombaba
Masters Student @ UCI Informatics
Shirley Guo
Founding UX Designer @ Suger
Andrew Huang
Product Designer @ Oracle
Selina Che
Senior Digital Product Designer @ Nike
Partners
Rules
All members of your team must be
- a current undergraduate or graduate student
- with an associated institutional (.edu) email
Teams must not exceed 4 people total.
Each team may only submit one (1) submission which will be submitted on behalf of all other contributors.
All work submitted must be original work. Any submissions with plagiarized work will be disqualified.
You may not submit work previously designed before the event. All designs must be made during the event dates.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
If any adjustments are made after the submission deadline, your team's submission will not count towards judging.
Teams must be comprised of entirely online or entirely in-person participants.
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