That question eventually became WaterSense, an autonomous, AI-powered water-monitoring system now being deployed across Poland and garnering global attention. In November 2025, WaterSense earned Filip the James Dyson Award for Global Sustainability, selected from more than 2,100 inventions across 28 countries.

Today, we’re excited to share Filip’s story and how his journey in Destination Imagination helped shape the way he approaches creativity, engineering, and innovation.

Q&A with DI Alum Filip Budny

1. Congratulations on winning the International James Dyson Award! What does this recognition mean to you personally, and what has the response been like since the announcement?

Winning the International James Dyson Award has been an extraordinary moment for me — not only as a scientist and engineer, but also as someone whose journey began in Destination Imagination. DI taught me that imagination, teamwork, and the courage to take on real problems can change the world. This recognition feels like a continuation of that path.

The Award is also meaningful because WaterSense was born out of the 2022 ecological disaster on the Oder River. It started with a simple question: “How could this happen without anyone noticing?” Receiving global recognition now shows that protecting inland waters is a challenge the world is ready to take seriously.

Since the announcement, the response has been overwhelming. Environmental agencies, researchers, investors, and universities have reached out. We’re now discussing new pilots across Europe, including the Rhine, Vistula, and Oder rivers. Schools and innovation hubs have also contacted us. Most of all, this Award inspires young innovators to believe that engineering can drive real impact — that’s the greatest reward.

2. In 2022, the ecological disaster on the Oder River exposed serious gaps in how inland waters are monitored. Can you describe the moment you realized, “This is a problem I need to solve”?

The turning point was the disaster itself — seeing hundreds of tons of fish washed ashore and realizing no early warnings existed. Growing up in Masuria, surrounded by lakes, water has always been close to me. Watching a river ecosystem collapse overnight felt deeply personal.

What struck me most was the complete lack of real-time data. Inland waters were being monitored manually, as if nothing had changed since the 20th century. With my background in mechatronics, printed electronics, and electrochemistry, I realized I had the skills to create something better. What began as frustration quickly became a mission.

3. For readers who may be new to water monitoring, what makes WaterSense different from traditional tools, and why does that difference matter?

Traditional monitoring is slow and reactive — you take a sample, send it to a lab, and get results days later. WaterSense flips that model entirely.

It’s continuous, autonomous, and predictive. Each station can measure over 25 parameters every 10 minutes, renew its own sensors daily, and use AI to forecast problems up to 72 hours in advance. Instead of snapshots, it provides a living, real-time picture of water quality.

Traditional tools tell you what has already happened. WaterSense tells you what’s happening now—and what’s coming next. That shift from reaction to prevention is transformative.

4. WaterSense includes features like printed disposable sensors, self-calibration, and AI forecasting. Which part of the design challenged your creativity the most, and why?

The biggest creative challenge (and the most rewarding one) was designing the printed disposable sensors. We were inspired by glucose test strips, which are inexpensive, precise, and contamination-resistant.

We created a roll of printed electrochemical sensors that automatically advance every day, like camera film. It required combining materials science, electrochemistry, mechanics, and embedded systems.

Solving that problem unlocked autonomous, long-term, lab-grade monitoring — something traditional systems simply can’t do.

5. You’re a Destination Imagination alum! Which years and Team Challenges did you participate in, and what stands out most from those experiences?

Yes, I’m a proud DI alum! I competed with team Winders in 2013 and 2014 when I was about 16 years old. We took on the Technical Challenge that season, and our DI journey took us across the world. We won the Polish National DI Tournament, then represented Poland at the DI China Tournament in Beijing, where we won the special National Geographic Challenge, and then competed at Global Finals in Tennessee.

What stands out most is the scale: thousands of young people engineering, building, inventing, and creating. DI showed me that creativity is a skill you practice, and that when you combine imagination with teamwork, you can build things that genuinely matter. DI didn’t just teach me how to solve problems; it shaped the way I approach every challenge today, including WaterSense.

6. DI emphasizes breaking down complex problems, prototyping quickly, and testing ideas under real constraints. How did those skills show up while you were building WaterSense?

DI shaped the way I build things long before WaterSense ever existed. As a teenager in DI, my team and I took on a Technical Challenge where we designed a concept device to help humans survive on Europa — Jupiter’s moon — and presented it through a theater performance. It sounded like science fiction, but DI teaches you to think without limits, break problems into manageable parts, build quickly, and refine constantly. That mindset has stayed with me.

When I began developing WaterSense, I approached it the same way. We didn’t wait for a perfect blueprint — we prototyped fast, tested in real rivers, saw what broke, and iterated right away. Sometimes we built a component in the morning and tested it in the water that same afternoon. Real-world feedback became our primary design tool.

That rapid cycle of build → test → fail → improve is pure DI. It’s a big reason we were able to create the first working prototype in under six months. DI taught me that innovation isn’t about getting it right the first time; it’s about iteration, teamwork, resilience, and solving real problems with creativity.

7. DI’s Creative Process is non-linear and encourages teams to recognize a problem, imagine possibilities, collaborate and initiate action, assess results, and keep improving. Where did that approach show up in your development of WaterSense?

The DI Creative Process is present at nearly every stage of building any product — and each part of it matters. DI teaches you to recognize a problem, imagine bold solutions, test them quickly, and refine what you’ve learned. That mindset became central to how we developed WaterSense.

In the early prototypes, we didn’t chase perfection. Instead, we focused on fast, structured iteration. We put the first versions of the station into real conditions, watched what broke, and redesigned immediately. Every leak, mechanical issue, or sensor misreading simply pointed us to the next improvement. It wasn’t about following a formal sequence; it was about embracing the iterative way of thinking that DI naturally builds into you.

That philosophy — imagine, test, improve — became not just a creative tool from DI, but a practical product-development strategy. It’s what allowed WaterSense to progress from an idea to a functioning system in just a few months.

8. Now that more than 20 WaterSense prototypes are deployed, what has surprised or excited you most from the real-world data you’re seeing?

What has surprised me the most is just how fast inland waters change. Monitoring rivers and lakes every 15 minutes reveals dynamics we could never see before. A shift in rainfall, a change in flow, a nearby industrial discharge, even activity in a small tributary — all of it shows up almost instantly in the data.

It has also been eye-opening to see how strongly human activity shapes water quality. Sometimes a single event upstream can alter conditions for kilometers within just a few hours. The AI model captures these patterns clearly, revealing relationships between environment, weather, and human behavior that traditional methods could never show.

The most exciting part is that these insights are actionable. When we understand how quickly water responds — and how much influence we actually have — we can finally move from reacting to problems to preventing them. That, to me, is the real power of seeing water in real time.

9. WaterSense will expand across Poland, Europe, and eventually the U.S. What’s your long-term vision for how this technology could change the way communities and governments protect their water?

My long-term vision is to make water quality data accessible to everyone. I want to make checking the health of a river or lake as normal as checking the weather.

I want WaterSense to help create the world’s first real-time digital model of inland waters: a constantly updated “digital twin” that shows what’s happening in rivers and lakes across entire regions. With thousands of autonomous stations feeding data into AI, we could see changes as they happen, understand how different factors affect the water, and predict risks before they become disasters.

A system like this could fundamentally change how we protect inland waters. When communities, governments, and companies all have access to the same real-time information, they can make faster, smarter, and more sustainable decisions.

10. What advice would you give to young people who want to use their creativity to make a difference in the world?

My advice is simple: follow the same approach DI teaches — because it applies to anyone who wants to solve real problems.

Recognize a problem. Imagine solutions. Build something. Test it. Fail. Improve. Don’t wait for the perfect plan — just start.

And if you don’t see a problem right away, wander a bit. Stay curious. Every meaningful innovation begins with noticing something others overlook.

Creativity isn’t about having flashy ideas; it’s about helping people and the planet in a practical, meaningful way. If you stay curious, stay open, and keep building, you’ll be surprised how quickly your ideas turn into something real.

The post DI Alumni Spotlight: An Interview with James Dyson Award Winner Filip Budny appeared first on Destination Imagination.

In our Melody Maker STEAM Challenge, students will team up to design and build a musical instrument using just four materials. But the challenge doesn’t end there—each group will also create and present a short, 2-minute performance that features their new instrument.

Building and performing with their instrument lets students experience how creativity, communication, and problem-solving come together. Just as important, it gives kids a chance to practice speaking and presenting in front of others—building confidence in their voices while having fun experimenting and surprising themselves with what they can create.

The Challenge

Using only 4 materials, work together as a team to design and build an instrument that can make at least three distinct sounds. Then, create a short performance that shows off your instrument, your creativity, and your teamwork skills. 

Materials 

Choose any 4 items from the suggested materials list below to create your instrument. Think about how each material might make sound—can it be struck, plucked, blown, or shaken?

Team Note: Scissors may be used for designing and building, but may not be included in your solution.

Facilitator Note: For younger students, you may want to guide them toward exploring how different objects can work together to produce different types of sounds, such as something hollow, something stretchy, and something hard.

Time Limit

Teams will have 20 minutes total to complete the challenge:

• 15 minutes to choose materials, design, build, and test the instrument
• 5 minutes to plan and practice the performance

Scoring (Up to 100 points)

A. 5 points for each distinct sound your instrument makes (Up to 15 points)
B. Up to 20 points for the creative use of materials in your instrument design
C. Up to 20 points for the overall effectiveness of your presentation (how everything comes together, including the instrument, the sounds, and the story)
D. Up to 20 points for the creativity of your performance
E. Up to 25 points for how well your team works together

Reflection Questions

• What type of instrument did you make? How did you work together to make it create different sounds?
  
• What was the most challenging part of the activity, and how did your team handle it?
  
• How did your team decide what to include in your instrument and your performance? How did it feel to share your ideas in front of others?
  
• If you could do this challenge again, what instrument would you make or what would you do differently?

Ready to Play?

Grab your team, gather four materials, and see if you can turn them into music. Share your team’s design with us on social media using #DestinationImagination.

The post Turn Everyday Items Into Music with the Melody Maker STEAM Challenge appeared first on Destination Imagination.

Imagine you arrive at work and learn that your co-worker, who is leading a big presentation for your team that morning, is out sick. The meeting is still on, and you’ve been asked to give the update. You have one hour to regroup, gather your teammates, and figure out how to deliver the presentation together.

Who’s going to take the lead? Who knows which parts best? How do you divvy up the talking points and make sure it’s cohesive when no one’s rehearsed it? As the clock ticks down, you start to see who naturally steps up, who stays calm under pressure, who finds creative ways to fill the gaps—and where the team’s strengths and gaps reveal themselves.

That’s an Instant Challenge in disguise.

For students in Destination Imagination (DI), moments like these are more than familiar—they practice them every week. Instant Challenge is a surprise, hands-on task that pushes students to think creatively and work together under pressure. It may look like fun, but it’s also serious skill-building.

Each challenge helps kids develop the same skills adults rely on every day—skills that many of us are still learning to strengthen: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability. And because Instant Challenge makes up 25% of a team’s overall DI score, many teams make it a cornerstone of their season-long practice.

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Turning the Tables

Recently, one team in Mexico—the Creative Monsters—decided to shake up their Instant Challenge practice with a creative twist: this time, it was the parents’ turn to take on the challenge.

The activity was called “Number Tower.” Teams were tasked with building a freestanding tower inspired by a number of their choice. Once the structure was complete, they had to give a short presentation explaining how that number influenced their design.

Like all Instant Challenges, it was a short, high-energy activity—this one lasting less than eight minutes from start to finish. Using only a small assortment of everyday materials—six straws, four pencils, four index cards, four chenille sticks, four craft sticks, four mailing labels, two sheets of paper, two clothespins, and one paper cup—teams had to plan quickly, think creatively, and communicate clearly to bring their ideas to life under pressure.

The Creative Monsters decided to approach it in two rounds. First, the students built their towers and completed the presentation without parents watching. Then, the team watched as the parents took on the same challenge.

 

What followed was both fun and eye-opening. The kids got to see entirely new ways of approaching the problem, while the parents experienced the same kind of creative pressure their kids face at every practice and tournament.

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A New Perspective

The Creative Monsters’ longtime Team Manager, Laura Edith González, who has led the team for four years, says what stood out most was the shift in perspective.

Laura is an accountant and auditor who runs her own accounting firm, but outside of work, she has a deep love for the arts. She first joined DI when her nephew’s team needed help with acting and performance, drawing on her background in theatre. What started as a favor quickly became a passion. Today, she sees DI as the perfect blend of creativity, collaboration, and real-world learning.

She co-manages the team with Roel Torres, a teacher who works with CreadEduu, a STEAM-focused educational organization in Mexico. Roel first discovered DI when two of his students proudly showed him their project. Now, in his second year as a Team Manager, he continues to be inspired by the creativity and growth he sees in his students each season.

Laura says what moved her most about this activity was watching the kids’ expressions as their parents worked through the same creative process.

“Through this exercise, the kids realized that when a challenge is difficult, it’s not because they ‘failed,’ it’s because the task itself is designed to stretch their creativity,” said Laura. “And seeing their parents struggle a little too showed them that mistakes are part of the process, not the end of it.”

For the parents, the experience revealed something just as valuable. They saw firsthand the teamwork, adaptability, and quick thinking their children practice in DI—and how much skill it takes to collaborate effectively under pressure. Beyond the learning, the activity sparked laughter, bonding, and a deeper appreciation for the creative process itself.

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The Power of Modeling Creativity

Children often learn more from what they observe than from what they are told. Watching their parents model resilience, collaboration, and creative thinking gave the kids permission to embrace those same qualities. For parents, stepping into their children’s world revealed just how much growth is happening through the DI experience—how creativity builds confidence, and how teamwork becomes second nature through practice.

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More Than a Challenge

In the end, this experiment was about more than Instant Challenge practice. It was a glimpse into how creativity, communication, and adaptability show up in all parts of life—whether you’re a student facing a new task or an adult leading a last-minute presentation.

Real learning happens in those uncertain moments–when we’re willing to take a chance, figure things out together, and see what we can learn along the way. That’s what DI is all about: helping kids build the confidence to lead, collaborate, and problem solve in any situation. And when parents join that process, they see firsthand that creativity isn’t just a skill—it’s a shared experience that can bring people closer together.

What about your team? Could parents, siblings, or even teachers join in on an Instant Challenge for fun? Sometimes the best way to understand DI is to experience the challenge yourself.

 

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At first glance, tower challenges might seem simple—but don’t be fooled. These quick-build activities pack a powerful educational punch and are perfect for kicking off your school year. Beyond reinforcing foundational STEM concepts, tower challenges promote essential classroom skills like collaboration, communication, creative and critical thinking, and problem-solving. They’re also low-prep, highly flexible, and a fun way to build classroom culture from day one.

In this Back-to-School Build-Off STEAM Challenge, students will work in small groups to design and build the tallest freestanding tower they can using only paper and paper clips—all within a 10-minute time limit. Teams may test and adjust their towers as they go, but once the 10 minutes are up, their final design must be ready to hold at least five hardback books. Feel free to modify materials or time based on your classroom needs to encourage even more creative collaboration.

Challenge Instructions

Objective: Build the tallest freestanding structure possible using only paper and paper clips that can hold at least five hardback books.

Materials: 20 sheets of paper, 20 paper clips, 5+ hardback books

Time: 10 minutes (you can modify the time limit for younger children)

Scoring:

A. 10 points if your paper tower is between 5-11 inches tall; 15 points if your paper tower is between 12-21 inches tall; 20 points if your paper tower is 22 inches or taller
B. 10 points if your structure is holding 5 hardback books; 15 points if your structure is holding 7 or more hardback books
C. Up to 20 points for the creative use of materials
D. Up to 20 points for how well your group works together
E. 10 points for thoughtful responses during the reflection discussion, sharing what your team built, how you worked together, what challenges you faced, and what you might do differently next time.

Processing Questions:

• What strategy did your team use when starting the tower—and did it change along the way? Why?

• How did your group share ideas or make decisions during the challenge?

• What surprised you the most during the building or testing phase?

• If you could redesign your tower from scratch, what would you try differently?

• How did the limited materials affect your design choices?

• What skills did you notice yourself using today (e.g., problem-solving, teamwork, creativity)?

• How might this challenge connect to real-world engineering or design problems?

 

 

Want More Creative, Low-Prep STEAM Activities?

Looking for meaningful, low-prep ways to integrate creativity and collaboration into your classroom? Our Teacher’s Guide to the Creative Process is your go-to resource. This free download features:

10 engaging STEAM activities that foster curiosity and innovation
Guided reflection questions to deepen learning and discussion
A clear breakdown of what the creative process is—and why it matters
Insight into how students benefit from creative, student-driven learning

Whether you’re teaching STEM, art, or any subject in between, this guide will help you build a learning environment where problem-solving, imagination, and ownership thrive.

Download the guide now and start sparking creativity from day one.

The post Back-to-School Build-Off: A STEAM Challenge for Teamwork & Creativity appeared first on Destination Imagination.

With six different STEAM Challenges to pick from (and plenty of different opinions in the mix), making that choice can be exciting… and a little tricky. Here are a few tips on how to make the process smoother and more fun.

1. Start with the Challenge Previews

At your first team meeting, take a look at the Challenge Previews. These give you a quick snapshot of each Team Challenge, including its theme, major components, and what your team will be asked to do. You’ll quickly get a feel for which ones spark the most interest.

2. Go Deeper with the Full Team Challenges

Once you’ve narrowed things down, it’s time to explore the full Team Challenges, which are available in the DI Resource Area. (Note: Full Team Challenges are available to registered DI teams only.)

Reading through the complete Challenges gives your team a better understanding of exactly what’s involved, and might help everyone feel more connected to one or two favorites.

3. Use the Team Interest Inventory

If you’re still split, try the Team Interest Inventory in Roadmap (also in the Resource Area). This survey helps each team member think through their preferences and identify what excites them most about the season ahead.

4. Break the Tie with Paired Choice Analysis

Sometimes, you’ll still end up with a tie, and that’s okay! The Paired Choice Analysis Worksheet in Roadmap turns preferences into a simple point system. No hard feelings—whichever Challenge scores the most points wins.

5. Start Creating!

Once your team has made the big decision, it’s time to start brainstorming. Share ideas, dream big, and don’t be afraid to try things that might seem wild at first—you never know which spark will turn into your team’s winning idea.

Pro Tip: For more tips, activities, and inspiration throughout the season, check out the rest of our blog and follow us on your favorite social app. We’ll be here cheering you on every step of the way!

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