The 2026 Immersive Design Challenge from Siemens and Sony is open for registrations, challenging students worldwide to make a product or process more sustainable with immersive engineering.
The 2026 Immersive Design Challenge provides an opportunity for higher education students to learn about sustainable design, make an impact with their ideas, develop their technical and durable skills and earn industry-recognised digital credentials to support their pathway to employment. Siemens has partnered with Sony to introduce immersive engineering by combining the Sony XR head-mounted display with Siemens’ Designcenter X NX software.
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The competition challenges teams of students to imagine how they would use immersive design to improve the sustainability of a product or process. The idea could be something that the students are working on already in their studies or something entirely new. It should be related to one of Siemens Industries.
To enter Round 1, students need to create a team and submit a short questionnaire explaining their idea. If they’re selected for Round 2, a visualisation or prototype will be needed, along with a short video. To help them on their way, Siemens will be providing Designcenter X NX Academic licences free of charge to all Round 2 teams that need them.
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Finalists across all regions will be trained by Siemens experts to develop their idea further using the Sony XR head-mounted display with Siemens’ Designcenter X NX software, with the winning teams invited to showcase their work at Siemens Realize Live in 2026.
Throughout the challenge, all participants will have the opportunity to learn essential workplace skills and earn digital badges and certifications.
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The competition is open to students worldwide enrolled in a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD programme through May 2026, in any discipline. Teams should comprise three to eight students, with diversity of all kinds encouraged. At least one team member will need CAD/NX skills as part of a multi-disciplinary team to create a successful entry.
Participants will have the opportunity to access and learn to use a range of Siemens software, including Designcenter, Simcenter and EDA tools, while developing real-world industry knowledge and new workplace skills with Siemens experts through masterclasses, webinars and inspirational talks. They will also collaborate with Siemens mentors and a global community of fellow learners, helping to build networks, gain real-world industry insights and develop key employability and innovation skills.
The winning teams and academic mentors will be invited to share a global stage alongside Siemens experts and industry leaders at Realize LIVE 2026. Participants will gain training from Siemens experts in person or online, as well as hands-on experience in physical or virtual environments with the Sony XR head-mounted display.Certificates, digital badges and software vouchers will be awarded at different stages of the Challenge to recognise participants’ learning and achievements. And in each region, the winning teams’ university will receive a Sony XR headset.
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Entries for Round 1 must be submitted by 26 January 2026. More information can be found here. And you can see how the 2025 finalists put immersive engineering to use in their ideas here.