DTM Expo: Regional Design Projects

What is it?

This category is open to students who have completed unrealized paper/classroom design projects Students designers will present a design project, composed of materials which clearly tell the story of the process, evolution, and art of the design. Industry professionals and faculty members will offer constructive feedback and professional responses to support artistic and professional growth. Special recognition is given for outstanding work. 

All entries must be original designs conceived and rendered by the participant.

Categories of entry include:

• • Costume Design
  • Lighting Design
  • Makeup Design
    • Wig/Hair Designs may be included as a Makeup Design entry
  • Scenic Design
  • Sound Design
  • Projection Design

Eligibility

To be eligible, participants must:

• Use one of the recommended scripts from the current Regional Design Projects List of Plays.
• Have designed a non-realized project at their home institution in the previous calendar year (January through December).
• Register for and attend the Regional Festival Conference to display and present their design project and receive constructive feedback and professional responses.

I’m going to go for it – How do I register?

1. Register for the Festival Conference
2. Register for this event on the DTM registration page
3. Prepare your materials
4. Submit your prepared materials to the DTM Online Gallery. A link will be provided during event registration.

If entering more than one category, a separate form must be submitted for each entry.

Regional Design Projects List of Plays

Below is the list of plays for the Regional Design Projects. A new list is announced each year. 

How to Prepare

Your display should include your project and supporting materials that best articulate and document the conceptual approach, process, and the class work or production. Examples of supporting materials include (but are not limited to) process/class/production photographs, a statement outlining your concept and ideas, research images, preliminary sketches, drafting, renderings, and models. For more specific details, please visit the DTM How to Prepare - Design and Technology page.

For more specific details, please visit the DTM How to Prepare page. 

Unrealized Design Projects at the National Festival

For the 2026 Festival Conference, both realized and unrealized/paper design projects will be eligible for national selection. One student in each design discipline (Costume, Lighting, Projection, Scenic, Sound, and Projections) will be chosen from each Region to attend the National Festival. 

At the National Festival, students will spend a week taking master classes from professional designers, presenting their design projects, and networking with student and professional designers from across the country. Students will be eligible for various professional learning opportunities, fellowships, and awards based on their projects and work during the festival. 

Faculty Written Responses

For any faculty interested in providing written responses to Regional Design Projects, please visit the Faculty Respondent page for more information. 

Special Recognition (Affiliated Awards):

In addition to recognition of outstanding work in each of the above categories, there are also additional special recognitions given at the Regional Festival Conference. Each year offers different opportunities. Past opportunities have included a fully funded trip to the national United States Institute for Theatre Technology Conference, books and prizes from Guest Respondents, books from publishers such as McGraw Hill, monetary awards and prizes from KRYOLAN makeup company, recognition and prizes from ETC, and many others. Recognition and awards will be announced and presented at the Awards Ceremony on the last day of Festival Conference.