7,978 Students Competed in Destination Imagination's Global Finals 2014 28 teams took top honors in the world's largest creative challenge competition; participants set GUINNESS WORLD RECORD®.

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May 28, 2014, 10:02 ET

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Destination Imagination (DI) celebrated Global Finals 2014, the world's largest creative thinking and problem solving competition for students in grades kindergarten through university, with the largest turnout ever. 1,412 teams competed for top placements and more than 17,000 attendees participated in hands-on activities at the Global Finals Innovation Expo, located at the University of Tennessee, from May 21-24.

During the four-day competition, teams presented their regional Challenge project across six categories that incorporated STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), the arts and service learning, and also competed in open-ended performance and task-based Instant Challenges. The top 28 teams across all age groups from Canada, China, Singapore, and 10 U.S. states took home their respective first place trophy. For a full list of winners, please visit http://globalfinals.org/results.

"I'm truly amazed by the ingenuity, perseverance and creativity the students displayed at Global Finals," said Dr. Chuck Cadle, Chief Executive Officer of Destination Imagination, Inc. "The 2014 participants exemplified the DI mission through their creativity, risk taking and teamwork while finding a solution for their Challenge."

Throughout the week, students had a chance to let loose and have fun in the following activities:

Set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for "the largest gathering of people wearing duct tape" at the 3M Duct Tape Costume Ball, where students showed off their handmade duct tape costumes.
3M Explore the Uncharted – Teams raced through a simulated rainforest, encountering plants and animals as they work to solve Challenges throughout their adventure.
Graduation – For all the graduating high school and college seniors, Destination Imagination honored their achievements with a ceremony to bid them farewell from the program. Peter Han, founder of TECxTheWoodlands, shared the importance of DI students using their talent and imagination to solve problems.
Performance by "America's Got Talent" finalist David Garibaldi, and a songwriting workshop where students co-wrote the 2014 Global Finals theme song with "American Idol" contestant Rachel Hale.

DI-TV and Photo Gallery – Sharing the Excitement with Those Unable to Attend
DI-TV, sponsored by IBM, and the Global Finals Global Finals 2014 Photo Gallery captured all of the festivities and insights from sponsors, exhibitors and participants throughout the week. Visit http://destinationimagination.org/ditv to see the highlights and learn more about Destination Imagination's Global Finals. Also check out what happened on DI's Facebook page and on Twitter with the @GlobalFinals handle and hashtag #GlobalFinals14.

About Destination Imagination
Destination Imagination, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) cause-driven, volunteer-led non-profit organization that helps children discover their creative processes. The most popular education offering is the Challenge Program, where student teams solve open-ended Challenges and present their solutions at tournaments. Founded in 1982, Destination Imagination has impacted more than 1.5 million students. To learn more, please visit http://www.destinationimagination.org.

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SOURCE Destination Imagination