Trent Durham Business STRIDE Challenge

This theme focuses on how organizations can reimagine their talent practices in response to shifting labour market dynamics, technological transformation, employee expectations, and changing societal needs. Students do not work from a pre-written case; instead, they analyze a topic area, define the problem themselves, and design practical, evidence-informed solutions. This approach mirrors the real-world process experienced by organizational leaders, who must determine what problem to solve before deciding how to solve it.

Participants strengthen their abilities to:

• Interpret trends in HR and organizational behaviour

• Evaluate complex, ambiguous problems

• Build solutions that balance organizational goals and social impact

• Communicate ideas clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences 

Competition Streams and Topics

High School Stream

Topic: Making Skills-Based Hiring Work

Senior secondary students examine how employers can adopt or enhance skills-based hiring practices for one entry-level position of their choosing. This topic asks students to consider how organizations identify essential skills, measure competence, and ensure equitable hiring practices.

Participants will:

• Select an entry-level role and explain why it is suitable for a skills-based hiring approach

• Evaluate the benefits and challenges of moving away from traditional credential-based requirements

• Develop a skills-based hiring “blueprint” that outlines what competencies matter most, how employers can assess them, and what supports are needed for long-term success

• Consider access, equity, feasibility, and workforce-readiness dimensions

Prizes:

• $500 – First Place

• $250 – Second Place

• $150 – Third Place

This stream encourages young learners to explore the relationship between education, career pathways, and workforce expectations at a critical decision point in their lives.

Undergraduate Stream

Topic: Making Hybrid Models

Undergraduate students will design a forward-looking hybrid work model that addresses the evolving tension between organizational requirements, employee autonomy, workplace culture, and collaboration. Students must go beyond simply advocating for remote or in-person work and propose a model that creates synergies, not trade-offs.

Participants will:

• Define what hybrid work should mean for a contemporary organization

• Evaluate why employers may prefer return-to-office measures and why employees seek flexibility

• Propose a comprehensive hybrid work policy grounded in organizational behaviour theory and real-world practices

• Outline implementation considerations, including communication strategies, leadership roles, performance measurement, and risk mitigation

• Identify conditions under which hybrid models are more or less effective

Prizes:

• $800 – First Place

• $500 – Second Place

• $250 – Third Place

This stream is well-suited for undergraduate students who have experienced hybrid learning and now face hybrid workplaces, offering valuable generational insights into the future of work.

Master of Management Stream

Topic: Making AI Work

Graduate students will develop a strategic HR transformation plan that addresses how organizations can integrate artificial intelligence responsibly, ethically, and effectively across different stages of the employee lifecycle.

Participants may focus on:

• AI-enabled recruitment and selection

• Onboarding and training systems

• Performance evaluation and talent development

• Workforce analytics and decision-making tools

• AI governance, equity, transparency, and risk management practices

• Organization- or industry-specific considerations

Students must critically analyze the paradoxical nature of AI adoption: balancing innovation with fairness, efficiency with workforce sustainability, and automation with human capability development.

Prizes:

• $1,500 – First Place

• $1,000 – Second Place

• $500 – Third Place

This stream allows Master of Management participants to demonstrate advanced analytical capacity, strategic thinking, and responsible innovation principles.

Awards and Benefits

• Cash prizes
• Finalist teams will have the opportunity to identify their (preferably local) charity of choice. Winning teams will have a donation made to the identified charity on their behalf
• Boost your resume with official recognition and certificates
• Level up your business skills through direct, hands-on learning from academic and industry experts
• Accelerate your career with potential job opportunities with industry and community partners

Eligibility and Team Structure

• Teams must consist of 3-4 members, and no substitutions are permitted following the team registration.

Competition structure

• First Round: Unlimited team entries. Teams will submit a video of up to three minutes, outlining their proposed solution idea, an initial analysis of the challenge, and the expected impacts to key stakeholders.
• Final Competition: 3 to 5 teams will advance to develop their comprehensive 20-minute presentations before a panel of judges including faculty members, business executives, and community experts. Presentation must include in-depth analysis, actionable recommendations (with prototypes where applicable), and projected outcomes.

Resources for Final Teams

• Coaching from experienced mentors
• Operational fund for prototyping and other needs

Commitment

Each participant is expected to invest approximately one day per week during the competition period.

2026 Timeline (High School Stream)

2026 Timeline (Undergraduate & Graduate Stream)