Organization Celebrates International Finalists, Special Award Winners
This year’s Global Finals culmination of the year-long competition for the more than 3,000 students who will take part in the final challenges of this year’s Destination Imagination (DI) season. The more-than-500 teams ranged from kindergarten to university level, and represented 28 states and 12 countries across the world.
These students have each competed at a local and state level, receiving the highest scores in their respective challenges, ranging from skit-based storytelling to construction and physical problem solving activities to highlight their creativity, ingenuity and imagination. Global Finals culminates these skills by bringing together students from more than 530 teams, across 28 states and 12 countries, bringing more than 8,000 to the event. To learn more about the Challenges DI teams solved this season, check out the Challenge Previews.
“We are so proud of our winning teams, and the exceptional performance and creativity they have shown,” said Michele Tuck-Ponder, CEO of Destination Imagination, Inc. “To be at Global Finals is an honor by itself, with all the hard work, determination and not-least-of-all, problem solving that it has taken to get to this point, we couldn’t be more excited to see what creative things these young people will go on to do, but we do know to expect great things!”
The teams compete in a variety of challenges based around different areas of creativity. Each challenge must incorporate two ‘Team Choice Elements’ that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength and talents.
- Piece by Piece – a technical challenge where participants design and create a puzzle that must be assembled during the presentation, in addition, they must design and build two puzzle solvers that use technical methods to assemble the puzzle while presenting an original story that shows a character’s understanding changing at a pivotal moment.
- Far-Fetched – a scientific challenge where participants create a tall-tale-style story including an exaggerated character with a hyperbolic trait. They will design and build a theatrical embellishment that enhances that trait. They will then present a scientific analysis to determine whether or not the exaggerated character could actually exhibit the trait.
- Flip the Script – a theatrical challenge where participants research literary devices and integrate them into a presentation of a flipped tale inspired by a well-known story but focuses on a new main character. They will then use theatrical techniques to move the audience’s focus from one portion of the presentation area to another, with a scenery piece that goes through a transformation of some kind.
- Showdown – an improvisational challenge where participants create an improvisational skit about an underdog preparing for and/or participating in a competition of some sort. They must incorporate an expert into the skit, as well as a complication of some sort. Teams must additionally incorporate trash bags and rubber bands somehow into the presentation.
- Thrill Ride – an engineering challenge where participants design and build a structure that operates similar to a roller coaster that will be assembled and tested during the presentation, incorporating a launching mechanism that moves a ball down the track, with both speed and distance adding to the score of the structure. They must develop an original story that shows what a rider would experience on the roller coaster.
- High Stakes – a service learning challenge in which participants identify, design, carry out and evaluate a project that addresses a need in a real community. They must develop a suspenseful story about a high-stakes situation, and incorporate a slow-motion scene enhanced by a special effect of some sort.
While it is exceptional for all of the teams present to be part of this competition, there is a definite number of winning teams who have shown exemplary creativity and problem solving ability through their presentations.
For the Destination Imagination Global Finals 2023 competition, the following teams have won their respective challenges; placements are numbered, and the winners of the Instant Challenge – quick, creative and critical-thinking exercises given to the students to complete day-of – are listed by letter following the top three teams.
- Piece by Piece (Elementary Level)
- Macaroni Council, St. Louis Catholic School, Austin, Texas
- Keep-trying Guys, Beijing Bayi School, China
- Sunshine Fairy, Nanjing Zhiyuan Foreign Lang. ES, China
High Instant Challenge – Team Illusionists, Bedford DI – Riddle Brook School , Bedford, New Hampshire
- Piece by Piece (Middle Level)
- Ice Lollies, Independent, Cedar Park, Texas
- We’re Puzzled, Green Bay Area Public Schools – Da Vinci, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Spiky Balloons, Rapid City Catholic Schools, St. Thomas More, Rapid City, South Dakota
High Instant Challenge – Impenetrable Souls, Glenelg Country School, Ellicott City, Maryland
- Piece by Piece (Secondary Level)
- DIdeas, Independent , McKinney, Texas
- Frankintime, Mercer Island Schools, Mercer Island, Washington
- Tour de Nile, Oxford Area, Oxford, Ohio
High Instant Challenge – Mythological Misfits, maharishi school, ia, Iowa
- Far-Fetched (Elementary Level)
- Da’Magix, Sevastopol School, Sevastopol, Wisconsin
- Space Spies, Bedford MADI, Bedford, Massachusetts
- Intelligent Crafters, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Da’Magix, Sevastopol School, Sevastopol, Wisconsin
- Far-Fetched (Middle Level)
- Insoluble Fraction, Conroe ISD, Knox Jr. High The Woodlands, Texas
- The DInamites, Fallon Middle School, Dublin, California
- Holy Guacamole!, Independent, Austin, Texas
Ice Breathing Cows, Conroe ISD, Collins Intermediate, Texas
- Far-Fetched (Secondary Level)
- The Mean Green Beans, Mercer Island SD 400, Mercer Island, Washington
- The Designated DIvers, ERHS, Greenbelt, Maryland
- The Skittleworms, Bedford MADI, Bedford, Massachusetts
High Instant Challenge – The Mean Green Beans, Mercer Island SD 400, Mercer Island, Washington
- Far-Fetched (University Level)
- A Knight’s Tale, Mission CISD, MISSION
- Flip the Script (Elementary Level)
- Chewbaccadoodles, Midlothian ISD, Midlothian, Texas
- The Good Quali-Trees , Midland ISD, Carver Center, Texas and Royal Guards, Westborough, Westborough, Massachusetts
- Boon Birds, Allen ISD, Allen, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Chewbaccadoodles, Midlothian ISD, Midlothian, Texas
- Flip the Script (Middle Level)
- The Original Knock-Offs, Lakota DI, West Chester, Ohio
- Monster Busters, Beijing 101 MS Shuangyushu, China
- Daring Dragons, Conroe ISD, THE WOODLANDS-Coulson Tough, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Half a Dozen, Dakota Hills Middle School, District 196, Eagan, Minnesota
- Flip the Script (Secondary Level)
- RatDItouille, Mercer Island Schools, Mercer Island, Washington
- Vandegrift High School#1, Leander ISD, Leander, Texas
- Creative Crayons, Independent, Pflugerville, Texas
High Instant Challenge – RatDItouille, Mercer Island Schools, Mercer Island, Washington
- Flip the Script (University Level)
- Maximum Jank, Mines and CSU, Arvada, Colorado
- Saturday Night 5, Brownsville ISD, Brownsville, Texas
- The Dispersions, Mission CISD, MISSION, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Maximum Jank, Mines and CSU, Arvada, Colorado
- Showdown (Elementary Level)
- The Toasted Baguettes, Palisades Park, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Believer Beavers, Waxahachie ISD, Waxahachie, Texas
- The Three Improviteers, Immaculate Conception Grade School, Elmhurst, Illinois
High Instant Challenge – OATS, Beachwood City Schools, Beachwood, Ohio
- Showdown (Middle Level)
- TROPHY HUNTERS, Emine Ornek Schools, Nilüfer, Turkey
- Imagi-Gators, Brownsville ISD, Brownsville, Texas
- Not Fast, Just Furious, Vandana Arcadia, Arcadia, California; and Hiser’s Drama Queens, Hiser’s Drama Queens – Independent, Bel Air, Maryland; and Artzy Actors, Midlothian ISD, Midlothian, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Gotta Roll … again, RTWKIDS, Arcadia, California
- Showdown (Secondary Level)
- Caarbadarbons, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Carrollton, Texas
- Silly Squad, Wayzata Public Schools and MN Connection Academy, Plymouth, Minn.
- The D.I.Janes, Conroe ISD, College Park HS The Woodlands, Texas and Dumpster Fire, Germantown, Germantown, Wisconsin
High Instant Challenge – Figgly Funny Silly Goofy Guys, Heritage High School, Littleton, Colorado
- Showdown (University Level)
- DD BACKS, Brownsville ISD, Brownsville
- Pink Ladies, Greenville ISD, Greenville and Members Only, Greenville ISD, Greenville
- Lemon-Ators, Mission CISD, MISSION
High Instant Challenge – Members Only, Greenville ISD, Greenville
- Thrill Ride (Elementary Level)
- Crazy Yeti Children, Leander ISD, Leander, Texas
- The Snowsurfers, Rapid City Catholic Schools, Rapid City, South Dakota
- Mechanical Cheetahs, Fort Bend ISD, Sugar Land, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Creative Mechanics, Conroe ISD, Mitchell Int The Woodlands, Texas
- Thrill Ride (Middle Level)
- FDI, BEIJING 57 HIGH SCHOOL, China
- I. Vincis Of McCullough JH, Conroe ISD , McCullough JHS The Woodlands, Texas
- Sky Dreamers, San Patricio International School, Mty, Mexico
High Instant Challenge – Dueling Dogs, Grosse Pointe DI, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
- Thrill Ride (Secondary Level)
- The Ultimate Miners, Sevastopol School, Sevastopol, Wisconsin
- Time Track, BEIJING 57 HIGH SCHOOL, China
- Fire Breathing Rubber Dux, Northwest ISD, Ft. Worth, Texas
High Instant Challenge – Fire Breathing Rubber Dux, Northwest ISD, Ft. Worth, Texas
- High Stakes (Elementary Level)
- Fruit Squad, Lubbock ISD, Waters Elem, Texas
- Shelter Sensations, Midlothian ISD, Midlothian, Texas
- Space Huskies, Katy ISD, Katy, Texas
High Instant Challenge – The Cool Pandas, Coyote Ridge, Broomfield, Colorado
- High Stakes (Middle Level)
- On Repeat, Euroamericano Valle, Monterrey, Mexico
- Growing Up Tribes, High School Affiliated to BNU, China
- Science Alliance, Wylie ISD, Abilene, Abilene, Texas and Struck by Creativity, Anoka-Hennepin #11, Northdale Middle School, Minnesota
High Instant Challenge – Struck by Creativity, Anoka-Hennepin #11, Northdale Middle School, Minnesota
- High Stakes (Secondary Level)
- Tortellini in Tutus, Mercer Island SD 400, Mercer Island, Washington
- Inventors, STEMZ, Redmond, Washington
- Crash test dummies, Katy ISD, Katy, Texas
High Instant Challenge – sunny side up!, Independent, Bellevue, Washington
Additional awards of merit can be found on the website, showcasing the ingenuity of the teams in particularly exceptional ways.
For more information about Global Finals, visit the website.