Western Washington University sophomore Blake Morton of Bothell and a team of five other Industrial Design majors at Western are among 20 finalists out of 170 entries from around the world still competing in Boston’s Street Seats Design Challenge.

As part of an independent study, the students designed a concept for a park bench for the Fort Point Channel in South Boston’s Innovation District. Judges for the event consist of Boston business owners, industry professionals and design experts.

The team now must build a full-size model of their design, called “Cleat,” and transport it to Boston using grants from the contest’s sponsors. The top design team will win a $5,000 grand prize and two runner ups will receive $2,000. All semi-finalists will have their work installed around Fort Point Channel in South Boston, and the winner will be chosen after an eight-month evaluation period.

Morton graduated from Bothell High School in 2009 and is studying Industrial Design at Western. He hopes to design products and solutions for the everyday person and is interested in the consumer electronics field. He is also interested in working for a consulting firm in the Puget Sound area.