TAKE THE TDI CHALLENGE SCOTLAND

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) is delighted to launch the 2025 edition of its flagship competition for design and technology (D&T) and engineering students: the Technology, Design, and Innovation (TDI) Challenge.

The competition is free to enter and open to students aged 14-19 who reside in Scotland. Applicants are asked to submit a design for a new product or concept, with an accompanying two-minute video showcasing its application and benefits. Participants are welcome to use their school or college coursework or develop a completely new idea.

Students and their respective schools and colleges have the chance to win a selection of exciting prizes.

Deadline date for entries: 7 April 2025

00d 20h 27m 07s

TAKE THE CHALLENGE

RULES OVERVIEW

The 2025 TDI Challenge Scotland is open to all young people aged 14-19. It is an opportunity to showcase your creative talent to an industry that relies upon vision and innovation.

We need you to come up with your own design for a new product or concept, explain its application and produce a video, no longer than 2 minutes, to demonstrate how and why your invention will benefit users.

You can use your Design and Technology coursework from school/college for your entry or you can enter a completely different idea if you prefer. Cardboard mock-ups and CAD models are all accepted.

There will be photography/videography, attending this event means you consent to photos being taken and that they can be used for publication and online.

EVENT TIMELINE

All entries to be in no later than 5pm on the 7th April 2025. Our judges will select several finalists from the video entries by 23/04/2025. The final itself will happen in person on the 18th June 2025 at NMIS, 3 Netherton Square, Paisley, PA3 2EF. All finalists will be notified and invited to come and present their idea/concept in more detail at the event with a winner being chosen on the day.

GUIDANCE CRITERIA FOR STUDENTS

1. Solution to a problem/problem solving
2. Scalability
3. Marketability/promotion
4. Innovation/problem solving
5. Sustainability
6. Design
7. Technology/Innovation

CONNECT WITH US

INFORMATION

The Technology Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge Scotland
offers school and college students a unique opportunity to showcase their project work to an industry that relies upon the creativity and innovation of its designers and engineers.

Open to students aged 14-19 who reside in Scotland
Attendance in person at the final is mandatory
Individuals and groups can enter
Submit your existing D&T and Engineering project – no extra work required!
Schools and Colleges can submit multiple entries
Prizes for Schools and Colleges to spend on D&T and Engineering equipment and activities
Prizes for Students will be Amazon vouchers
Over £5,000 in prizes for students, schools, and colleges

PRIZES!
Individuals	Students	£400, £300, £200
Individuals	Schools/colleges	£1,000, £800, £700
Groups	Students	£400, £300
Groups	Schools/colleges	£500, £400
All participants	Students	£50

All winners, 1st 2nd and 3rd place get the prize, certificate and trophy. Participants get a certificate and an amazon voucher.

These prizes may be subject to change depending on the number of entries and finalists.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR…

Research – we want to know why you were inspired to work on your project and how you went about it.
Innovation – what new ideas or tweaks to existing designs did you include in your project and why?
Development – How did your design develop, what changes did you make that worked and that didn’t work?
Solution – what is your final product and what would you like to do with it next?

Innovate Today and Help Shape a Better Tomorrow

Innovation is helping to shape our world like never before, therefore we want young people to be as bold and original as possible. In doing so, they will be showcasing their own talents and helping to promote some of the great work taking place in our schools and colleges. They’ll also be helping the manufacturing technologies industry better understand the challenges that education faces and how it might provide assistance.

To enter please fill out the form below and link to your video. Best of luck.

Entries from following regions only to allow less than 1 hour travel time for finalists

West (Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde & West Dunbartonshire)
Glasgow
Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire
Argyll & Bute

Edinburgh, Mid & East Lothian
Fife
Forth Valley (Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling)
Ayrshire
West Lothian

“Winning the TDI Challenge has been an absolutely life changing experience. Winning this award, has developed my confidence and skills, as well as opened more opportunities for the future of my product. It was wonderful to network with so many like-minded people and the quality of the other products in the show were unbelievable. I’d never seen so many innovative products in such a small proximity. Although I was a little nervous about the judging during the competition, I was quickly at ease when I realised how friendly they all were and how passionate they were about the competition. I would like to thank MTA, the TDI Challenge and Mazak for this incredible opportunity, as well as my family and teachers for their unconditional support and commitment.”

INDIGO WERNICK