Technology, Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge goes Online for 2020

Published 30th April 2020

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) have launched the 2020 edition of the Technology, Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge.The flagship schools’ competition, which has been running for 17 years, will return in 2020 with a twist. Due to the current Coronavirus situation in the UK, a new format for the 2020 edition of TDI is being launched online.

The aim of the competition is similar to previous years with Secondary School Students being asked to design their own product or concept and explain its application. This year they will enter by submitting 2-minute video presenting why and how the innovation will benefit its users. Once the video is completed all the students must do is share it on either Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #tdichallenge2020.

The competition aims to bring a positive and engaging challenge to young people affected by school closures and the isolation that entails.

Mike Falconer, Education & Development Manager at the MTA, said “Innovation impacts every aspect of our lives. Now more than ever we see the benefits of technology; so we encourage students to be as imaginative and bold as possible and share their ideas with the world.” He continued “The TDI Challenge has benefited hundreds of students over the years and we wanted to ensure that the class of 2020 got the same opportunity to participate in this event and share their innovations.”

James Selka, DL, CEO of the MTA said, “In these challenging times, we feel it’s more important than ever to continue to celebrate the creative ideas and brilliant work undertaken by our country’s next generation of designers and engineers, many of which will have already put great efforts into their GCSE or A-Level course work.”

Continuing “We are inviting young people across the country to present a short video explaining their concept, the technology used to produce it and ultimately how it will benefit the user. Upload your video to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #tdichallenge2020 to enter.”

The purpose of the TDI Challenge has always been to help teachers and lecturers promote the great work of their Design Technology and Engineering students. Celebrating the creativity and innovation taking place inside the curriculum, as well as, helping industry better understand the challenges that education is facing and how we might be able to assist through collaboration.

The MTA is very pleased to announce that the Design and Technology Association and Autosport Magazine are both supporting the TDI Challenge this year. Using their extensive networks to help encourage more students to participate and by giving some of the top entries an opportunity to showcase their work on Autosport.com to their extensive network.

Autosport Engineering editor James Newbold said: "I attended the final in 2017 and was very impressed by the standard of work evident in each of the projects on show. While clearly not directly related to the motorsport industry, the projects involved a degree of creative thinking and an attitude to problem-solving that has set the best designers in Formula 1 history apart from the rest, so it's great to celebrate the students' achievements and give them the platform to share their ideas with a wider audience."

Tony Ryan CEO of the Design and Technology Association stated “The Association represents over 15,000 D&T teachers across the UK and overseas,.The TDI Challenge 2020 is a fantastic opportunity for our teachers to engage with their student's creativity during these difficult times. The competition fosters imagination, creativity and problem solving, key aspects of our subject. We are proud to support TDI and encourage students to showcase their ideas in this unique way.”

Competition Rules & Format

There are two prize categories to be judged, one in each age group: 14-16 and 17-19. The winner in each category will have their work showcased on Autosport.com to their extensive readership. They will also be offered the opportunity to undertake a work placement within a design department to further their studies and to develop their understanding of design & technology and its application within industry.

• Individual student aged 14-16 (GCSE/KS4/BTEC L2)
• Individual student aged 17-19 (A-Level/BTEC L3)

The competition promo video is shown here: https://vimeo.com/412701221/d45016ed39

And the competition landing page is here: https://www.thetdichallenge.co.uk