The Ultimate List of Passion Project Ideas & Examples

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Stand out to colleges with the perfect passion project idea
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As important as grades and exams might be in school, it’s equally important that you find the things that you’re truly passionate about and that showcase exactly who you are as a student and individual. Completing a passion project will accomplish all that, but how do you get started with a creative, interesting, and meaningful idea? Well, you can start with this list of passion project ideas covering any topic—from art to tech to sports to public speaking. Whatever your passion is, you’ll find a passion project idea here to match it (or learn the brainstorming tips to come up with your own!).

Ideas for Passion Projects

  1. Write a blog to document your progress with a new skill, hobby, or goal.
  2. Record a podcast discussing an important story or cause in your community.
  3. Create a social media campaign to highlight an issue you’re passionate about.
  4. Design an app or video game that showcases your coding skills.
  5. Create a piece of written or visual media like a photography portfolio or poetry collection.
Section 1 of 5:

100 Passion Project Examples

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  1. Community service showcases your commitment to improving the world around you, as well as your generosity and relational skills. Launch a community-focused or charitable passion project that addresses a specific need in your area. Here are some ideas: [1]
    • Create a blog that spotlights and celebrates local businesses.
    • Organize a food drive and take the donations to your local food bank.
    • Volunteer to tutor local students.
    • Put together packs of school supplies for local students in need.
    • Host a youth mentoring program to support and guide younger students.
    • Join a pen pal service for people who may feel isolated by society, like someone who’s been imprisoned or who lives in a retirement community.
    • Start a community garden in your neighborhood.
    • Organize a neighborhood garage sale where people can find cheap items and repurpose what they don’t need.
    • Plan a fundraising campaign for a non-profit that serves your area.
    • Organize a walk-for-a-cause and donate the proceeds to address a neighborhood issue.
  2. Strong communication skills are a must when it comes to college admissions, especially when students are using their voices to speak on important causes. Representing yourself as a strong speaker who also cares about meaningful issues is a great way to make your passion project stand out. [2] Here are some ideas:
    • Write speeches for important political figures and collect them in a portfolio.
    • Host monthly debate meetings on ethical and politically relevant topics. [3]
    • Apply for the TED-Ed Student Talks program.
    • Plan or participate in a speech and debate competition.
    • Create a series of educational videos on building strong communication skills.
    • Launch a YouTube channel where you discuss current affairs and hot-button issues.
    • Educate local youth on the political system by creating an interactive website or app detailing your local government structures, representatives, and important issues.
    • Organize a letter-writing campaign to help influence political change.
    • Volunteer for a local political campaign in your town, county, or state.
    • Organize a rally or protest for a cause you’re passionate about.
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  3. Digital skills are becoming more and more valued in the college admissions process. If you’re particularly tech-savvy, a STEM-based passion project may help you stand out—especially if you use your computer ingenuity for a meaningful cause. [4] Here are some ideas:
    • Create a virtual tour of a neighborhood you think needs more attention.
    • Volunteer to help older generations with tech troubleshooting.
    • Volunteer to teach tech skills or programming languages to members of your community.
    • Start a multi-platform social media campaign to raise awareness about an issue you care about.
    • Develop a mobile app to solve a problem that you’d like to see addressed.
    • Design your own video game .
    • Build a 3D prototype of your very own unique invention.
    • Deconstruct and rebuild old computers and TVs into something new and interesting.
    • Create a mini-robot with unique functions.
    • Submit a project to a STEM fair or competition.
  4. Channel your creativity into a passion project that highlights your talent and unique voice. Artistic projects can be related to music, painting, film, ceramics, or any creative art form that you feel passionate about. Here are some ideas:
    • Create a series of paintings or other visual artwork inspired by your favorite song or movie.
    • Design a mural installation to help beautify your neighborhood or school.
    • Learn to shoot professional photography and create a portfolio with your best pictures.
    • Design handmade personalized greeting cards for different occasions.
    • Learn a new musical instrument and document your learning process.
    • Write and produce an original song or album.
    • Volunteer to teach an art course to younger students.
    • Create a blog or social media account and review new music or film releases.
    • Get involved with a local theater, either on the stage or behind the scenes.
    • Write a one-person show or stand-up comedy routine and attempt to get it staged.
  5. If you’re always scribbling in a journal or making up stories in your head, then a writing or literature project may be perfect for you. Colleges and schools love strong writers, so showcase your talents in a meaningful project that you feel passionate about. [5] Here are some ideas:
    • Write a collection of short stories or poems.
    • Create your own comic book or graphic novel.
    • Start your own monthly literary magazine or ‘zine.
    • Adapt your favorite novel into a stage play or screenplay.
    • Start a blog or social media account to review new book releases.
    • Install a Free Little Library in your neighborhood.
    • Host a book drive and donate the books to a local school or homeless shelter.
    • Organize a monthly book club to discuss novels with old and new friends.
    • Plan monthly digital poetry slams or readings. [6]
    • Design a literature course that revolves around an under-represented group of authors—e.g., women authors, Asian-American authors, or LGBTQIA+ authors.
  6. College admissions officers seek out students who have an active curiosity about the world around them. [7] A history- or culture-based project will show off your love of learning and your natural intellect, as well as your knack for global citizenship and critical thinking. Here are some ideas:
    • Write a blog where you analyze important historical events and their current relevance.
    • Visit local museums and document what you learn about your area.
    • Design an interactive digital map of historical landmarks in your town or state.
    • Digitize and catalog aging photos from your local archives that are at risk of degradation. [8]
    • Create a short documentary series about local history or cultural traditions.
    • Interview your family members and record what you learn about your family history.
    • Take a DNA test and trace your genealogy to build a thorough family tree.
    • Learn a new language and find a way to engage with its community of native speakers.
    • Visit local eateries in your area that celebrate different cultures and palates.
    • Interview members of local indigenous communities and document their oral histories, rituals, and daily practices.
  7. Show your love of the planet and commitment to sustainability through a nature-focused passion project. This type of project showcases your well-rounded interests as well as the potential contributions you’d bring to a school campus. Here are some ideas:
    • Initiate a school or neighborhood recycling program.
    • Organize a volunteer group to help remove litter from roadways.
    • Set up a rain barrel and compost bin in your yard.
    • Grow your own produce and preserve them via canning.
    • Build bee hotels in your yard and in local schools or community gardens. [9]
    • Build birdhouses to ensure safe shelter for local wildlife.
    • Write a guidebook for birdwatching in your region.
    • Explore your local hikes and trails and create a photo journal of your trips.
    • Go camping at or visit every National Park in the U.S.
    • Volunteer at your local animal shelter.
  8. Administrators look for well-rounded students who have diverse interests outside of academia—which can include a dedication to physical and mental health. [10] These projects really show who you are outside of school, especially as holistic well-being and health is becoming more and more important. Here are some ideas:
    • Take lessons for a sport you love but have never played before.
    • Visit every major league stadium for your favorite sport.
    • Volunteer to host free fitness classes for activities like yoga or dance.
    • Make an accessible workout routine and share it within your community.
    • Train for a 5K or other long-distance race.
    • Compete in an outdoor team adventure race (aka expedition racing).
    • Organize free health workshops about basic first-aid, nutrition, and emergency preparedness skills.
    • Experiment with nutritious recipes and create a cookbook out of your discoveries.
    • Create a mindfulness podcast for meditation and stress relief.
    • Establish a peer counseling or stress-relief workshop at a local school.
  9. Game-based projects show off your logic skills, strategic thinking, and creative mind. [11] So if you’re always trying to get your family members together for a weekly game night, a creative or community-building activity-based project is a perfect fit. Here are some ideas:
    • Design and create your own board game .
    • Make your own jigsaw puzzle .
    • Design a video game or gaming app.
    • Create a customized deck of cards that feature facts or visuals relating to your town or an issue you're passionate about.
    • Plan an escape room and pitch your idea to a local company.
    • Get involved in finding and planning geocaches.
    • Host a complex obstacle course and fundraise for an important cause.
    • Organize a monthly community game night.
    • Volunteer to teach chess and other complex strategy games to local students.
    • Learn some magic tricks and host a show in your community.
  10. Practical skills are just as important as academic ones, plus they also show off your sense of creativity and innovation! From fashion design to home renovation, choose a hands-on project that you’re really passionate about. Here are some ideas:
    • Study the basics of interior design and redesign your space.
    • Take on an ambitious home renovation project.
    • Build custom furniture pieces for your home.
    • Learn woodworking and create unique designs.
    • Flip old furniture and decor into new pieces.
    • Collect used clothing and upcycle them to give them a new life.
    • Knit, sew, or crochet your own fashion line.
    • Create your own jewelry with found items like charms and beads.
    • Curate a collection of items that are significant to you—whether that be rocks, stamps, coins, or anything else!
    • Design architectural models that follow sustainable practices.
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Section 2 of 5:

How to Find Your Passion Project Idea

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  1. Reflect on the things that you’re most passionate about and interested in—these don’t need to be academic subjects! Consider your favorite hobbies, extracurricular activities, and other interests that you enjoy exploring in your free time. Make a list of the interests you come up with and any initial thoughts about how they might turn into a project. [12]
  2. Consider your current skills and talents that you’d like to showcase in your project. [13] You may want to design your project around your natural talents to make your project more successful and fun for you. If you already know how to play the guitar, for example, you might produce your own track or learn a related string instrument.
    • However, this doesn’t mean that your project can’t challenge you and teach you something new! Your “existing skills,” in this case, could be your curiosity, determination, and intellect.
  3. Start by identifying any gaps or needs in your local area that could be addressed through your passion project. Alternatively, look more globally and research current events and issues that you can tackle. These types of projects benefit others while also being interesting to you. [14]
    • For example, you could start a community garden or book club in your neighborhood if one doesn’t already exist.
    • Or, you could address the global issue of climate change with a project on reducing plastic waste.
  4. Ask your friends, family members, and teachers for input on your project. They may be able to come up with new ideas or give you more insight into your special skills and interests. Likewise, reach out to local organizations and businesses to see if they have any ideas for how you could collaborate on a community project. [15]
  5. If you’re a high school student completing a passion project for college admissions purposes, then you might want to focus your project on something that aligns with your college goals. Ideally, your project will reflect the major and career field that you plan to specialize in.
    • However, colleges also love to see that you have multiple interests and a well-rounded application, so it’s not the worst thing to have a project that differs a bit from your degree.
    • The most important thing is to choose a passion project that you’re truly passionate about!
  6. Use mind mapping or another idea generation technique to come up with your project idea. To create a mind map, place your central topic or cause (e.g., music, sustainability, exercise) into the center of a piece of paper. Use lines, arrows, and speech bubbles to connect your central idea to related thoughts as they pop into your head. [16]
    • If you’re struggling to come up with related thoughts and sub-ideas, draw six circles around your page and write “Why,” Who,” “How,” “What,” “When,” and “Where” in each respective circle.
    • Then, answer each of these questions as they relate to your overarching topic.
    • For example, consider why this subject is important to you, how you are planning to enact it, what the documentation will look like, when you’ll complete each step, and where you’ll need to go to complete the project.
    • You can also look at lists of passion project ideas (like this one) and note any ideas that jump out at you or sound interesting. Then, make them your own!
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Section 3 of 5:

How to Document Your Passion Project

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  1. In addition to completing your project, you must also document your process and the final outcomes so that you have something to show to teachers and college admissions officers. While the type of documentation you use will depend heavily on the type of project you choose, you can start with this list of ideas:
    • Write a research paper exploring a central question related to your project.
    • Write a memoir or series of journal entries documenting your progress.
    • Send out a weekly or monthly newsletter with updates on your progress.
    • Publish a personal blog documenting your learning process.
    • Build a website to highlight the different parts of your project.
    • Create a social media campaign about an issue central to your project.
    • Design an infographic with data you’ve collected throughout your project.
    • Produce a podcast about your journey or the topic of your project.
    • Record a video essay about your project experience.
    • Create a short documentary with themes relevant to your project.
    • Create a physical portfolio to showcase any visual or artistic work.
    • Hold a culminating event like a recital, photography exhibition, or open mic night.
Section 4 of 5:

What is a passion project?

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  1. These projects aren’t assigned by school or work but rather present an opportunity for you to explore a personal area of interest. [17]
    • Passion projects should be intrinsically motivated (i.e., it’s something that you genuinely want to do) and bring about a sense of joy and fulfillment.
    • Many students complete passion projects so that they can showcase them on their college applications.
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Section 5 of 5:

What are the benefits of pursuing a passion project?

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  1. If you’re doing a passion project in high school, it may allow you to explore your different interests and potentially choose a career path. Some other key benefits of passion projects include: [18]
    • Showcasing skills that might not be reflected in your grades or test scores.
    • Showing commitment to a skill, cause, or challenging task.
    • Demonstrating personal growth and a willingness to push yourself outside your comfort zone.
    • Channeling your creativity to enhance your life without the pressure of academic standards.
    • Building a portfolio of work to demonstrate your skills, accomplishments, and experiences.
    • Standing out to colleges and differentiating yourself with a unique project that says more about you than strong test scores or a high GPA.

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      • You don’t have to be in school to complete a passion project! If you have the time and energy to do something because it enriches your life and community, go for it!
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      • You don’t need to do a passion project to get into a good college. You should only spend time on a passion project if it’s something you really want to do or if it relates to the field you plan to study in university.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/community-service-project-ideas
      2. ↑ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/stand-out-in-high-school/character-counts-what-are-colleges-looking-for
      3. ↑ https://admitreport.com/blog/passion-project-ideas
      4. ↑ https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/8-summer-activities-to-boost-college-applications/
      5. ↑ https://www.nshss.org/resources/blog/blog-posts/what-do-colleges-look-for-in-a-student/
      6. ↑ https://admitreport.com/blog/passion-project-ideas
      7. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jinchow/2023/11/20/the-7-most-desirable-traits-that-admissions-officers-look-for/?sh=76086201619f
      8. ↑ https://admitreport.com/blog/passion-project-ideas
      9. ↑ https://admitreport.com/blog/passion-project-ideas
      1. ↑ https://www.nshss.org/resources/blog/blog-posts/what-do-colleges-look-for-in-a-student/
      2. ↑ https://www.thepathway2success.com/12-social-emotional-skills-that-board-games-build/
      3. ↑ https://prepory.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-passion-projects-for-high-schoolers/
      4. ↑ https://prepory.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-passion-projects-for-high-schoolers/
      5. ↑ https://prepory.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-passion-projects-for-high-schoolers/
      6. ↑ https://mycommunity.org.uk/how-to-get-started-with-a-project-in-your-community
      7. ↑ https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/sites/default/files/docs/learningguide-mindmapping.pdf
      8. ↑ https://prepory.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-passion-projects-for-high-schoolers/
      9. ↑ https://prepory.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-passion-projects-for-high-schoolers/

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