GLENDALE, CA (MPG) – Walt Disney Imagineering—which dreams up and designs all Disney theme parks, resorts, cruise ships and other family entertainment experiences—selected six teams of finalists to compete in the 2020 Imaginations Design Competition, held Jan. 13-17. This year’s teams included two local Sacramento region students studying at Laguna College of Art and Design as well as teams from Savannah College of Art and Design, Texas A&M University, United States Naval Academy, and University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

For this year’s competition, teams were challenged to create an iconic installation at the contestants’ own campus or city that serves as an inspiration, honors the past, and is a vision of the future. It could be architectural, ornamental, static or active — whatever the team feels is the best way to represent their unique chosen location.

The competition also embraces both the intimate and grandiose of ideation — the guidelines are that the designs be appropriate for the location selected. In telling the very unique story of the chosen spot, it should respect and integrate local traditions and geography. This project should be a place to gather and celebrate, as well as reflect and educate the community — a concept that will go down in history as symbolic of the team’s campus or city.

Teams consist of two to four college students and recent graduates who come from a myriad of majors comparable to the more than 100 disciplines at Walt Disney Imagineering, and were encouraged to tap into the expertise of everyone on their crossdisciplinary team in supporting this idea.

Carmichael student Matthew Mooney and Folsom student Valoia Laolagi presented The Laguna Beach Homestead, sharing the creative culture of Laguna Beach with the broader community through continued education, emphasizing the beautiful coast and the many artists it has attracted for over 100 years.

The homestead would give Laguna Beach's nearly 8 million annual guests the ability to embrace and participate in the creative culture of an artistic community through shared experiences of creativity, observation development and conservation. From painting to baking to walking down the boardwalk, everything done at the homestead invokes creativity. All of this is expressed architecturally with a whimsical reimagining of the historic Laguna Artist colony which would eventually become the city of Laguna Beach.

Provided with a project challenge, teams work to deliver a concept similar to how Imagineers develop their Blue Sky projects. In a matter of weeks, teams have to leverage their various artistic, technical and communication skills to prepare a submission that will appeal to judges whose backgrounds include a wide array of creative and technical disciplines.

The projects are judged on mastery of skills and talents, guest experience, diversity and market perspective, uniqueness, and adherence to project challenge. The judges are looking for the ability to recognize the cultural nuances of the selected location, expanding the boundaries of what currently exists, and an evaluation of its business implications and impact on the community.

Judges also examine the teams’ ability to tell a compelling and engaging story, with broad appeal to a wide audience, and a knowledge and passion for Walt Disney Imagineering—where Imagineers blend storytelling with the latest technologies to create immersive experiences that delight families all around the world.

Students from the six finalist teams will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney Imagineering in Southern California, where they will present their projects to Imagineering executives and compete for awards. All finalists can meet and network with Imagineers, going behind-the-scenes to see how Disney magic is created.