KANSAS CITY, MO — Students from Concord, NH, finished top-10 in the world in the secondary Level Scientific Challenge at the 2026 Destination Imagination Global finals. Team “Mustang Bandits” captured ninth place in the world on the global stage.
Nine student teams proudly represented the Granite State on the world’s largest creative stage this week, Destination Imagination Global Finals where they showcased elite collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving skills. They competed with teams from around the US and around the world across STEAM disciplines—including engineering, technical, improvisational, scientific, fine arts, and service learning.
Five of the nine teams had top 20 finishes in the world, with additional teams placing in the upper brackets in their challenges and age groups (official placements below).
New Hampshire’s standout performance came from Concord’s own “Mustang Bandits,” who captured 9th place in the world in the Secondary Level Scientific Challenge.
The “Mustang Bandits” have spent nearly a decade honing the teamwork required to compete at this level. “The Bandits are an eclectic group that have been working together for eight years,” according to their Team Manager Kayla Page. “They all have very different talents, which seems to be their superpower.”
That diversity of talent is reflected in the team’s ambitious future goals. Among the members of the world-class squad are an aspiring Division 1 baseball player, a future neurologist, a physical therapist, an architect, and a designer focused on sustainable products and fine woodworking. Another teammate plans to follow in his father’s footsteps to serve the community as a firefighter.
The team’s top-10 finish caps off a remarkable season of dedication, highlighting the strength of New Hampshire’s youth in global creative problem-solving. The Concord team was joined by teams from Bedford, Grantham, Mascoma Regional High School, Meredith, Salem and Windham, NH. Each were among the nearly 100 teams across the state that started their journey last fall.
The most important part of the program is to build life-skills in creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving – and bring a fully team-created solution to competition. Reaching Global Finals is an added bonus.
About Destination Imagination
Destination Imagination (DI) is a global non-profit organization that inspires and equips students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. Through competitive challenges in STEAM and service learning, DI helps students build lifelong skills in creative thinking, project management, and teamwork. The program is offered in most U.S. states and in nearly 30 countries. In New Hampshire, the program is offered through the non-profit NHICC organization (New Hampshire’s Innovation and Creativity Connection), and more information is available at NH-DI.org.
Placements below are ranked “top scoring in the world” by Challenge and age bracket:
Challenge A: Win It Big (Technical)
- Elementary Level (EL)
- Team: Dizzy Iguanas (#130-23989)
- Organization: Grantham Village School, Grantham, NH
- Placement: 15th Place
Challenge B: Unforgettable (Scientific)
- Secondary Level (SL)
- Team: Mustang Bandits (#130-19430)
- Organization: Concord, Concord, New Hampshire
- Placement: 9th Place
- Secondary Level (SL)
- Team: Meet Cute in the Meat Que (#130-69114)
- Organization: Mascoma Valley Regional High School, Canaan, New Hampshire
- Placement: 17th Place
Challenge C: Becoming Super (Fine Arts)
- Elementary Level (EL)
- Team: Team Frozen Phoenix (#130-9867)
- Organization: Bedford DI, Bedford, New Hampshire
- Placement: 34th Place
- Middle Level (ML)
- Team: Fab Five (#130-89494)
- Organization: Salem School District, Salem, New Hampshire
- Placement: 38th Place
- Secondary Level (SL)
- Team: Michael! (#130-38137)
- Organization: Bedford High School, Bedford, New Hampshire
- Placement: 22nd Place (Tied)
Challenge D: Casting Shadows (Improvisational)
- Elementary Level (EL)
- Team: NH Shockwave (#130-1036)
- Organization: Center School, Windham, New Hampshire
- Placement: 14th Place
- Middle Level (ML)
- Team: The Humble Hairy Howler Monkeys (#130-49825)
- Organization: Inter-Lakes Middle/High School, Meredith, New Hampshire
- Placement: 25th Place
- Secondary Level (SL)
- Team: D1-DI (#130-5048)
- Organization: Bedford High School, Bedford, New Hampshire
- Placement: 13th Place