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 

The 2026 Trent Durham Business STRIDE Challenge is made possible through the generous support of Zabeen Hirji, ’25, Hon. LL.D. and her commitment to talent development. 

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/or ensure equitable hiring practices.

Prizes:

• First Place: $500 cash and $1000 charity donation credit

• Second Place: $250 cash and $500 charity donation credit

• Third Place: $150 cash and $500 charity donation credit

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

Eligibility Requirements: Grade 11 and 12 students.

Undergraduate Stream

Topic: Making Hybrid Models Work

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.

Prizes:

• First Place: $800 cash and $1000 charity donation credit

• Second Place: $500 cash and $500 charity donation credit

• Third Place: $250 cash and $500 charity donation credit

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.

Eligibility requirements: Trent University undergraduate students enrolled in the BBA program or an approved business joint major degree program, who have a minimum of 4.0 ADMN credits and 9.5 university credits.

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.

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:

• First Place: $1500 cash and $1000 charity donation credit

• Second Place: $1000 cash and $500 charity donation credit

• Third Place: $500 cash and $500 charity donation credit

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

Eligibility Requirements: Trent University Master of Management students in good academic standing.

Awards and Benefits

• Cash prizes
• Winning teams will select their preferred charity from a shortlist. Students will coordinate their donation logistics directly with their chosen organization, including any cheque presentations, photos, or follow-up communications. In doing so, they will help promote and support the work of the charity.
• 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.
• If you cannot form a full team before the registration deadline, you may register as an individual or as a pair. After registration closes, the organizing committee will match you with other students to form a team of 3-4 members. Newly formed teams will be contacted within 24 hours to connect and submit a team name within two days. Please note that you may be paired with new teammates and will be expected to collaborate professionally. While we will do our best to forma complete team, matching cannot be guaranteed.

Competition structure

• First Round: Unlimited team entries. Teams will submit a short video outlining their proposed solution idea, an initial analysis of the challenge, and the expected impacts to key stakeholders.
• Final Competition: In each stream, three finalist teams will advance to present their comprehensive full presentations before a panel of judges, including faculty members, business executives, and community experts. 

Each stream has its own specific requirements, deliverables, and evaluation criteria. These details will be provided directly to the registered teams in the official case packages.

Resources for Final Teams

• Coaching from experienced mentors

Commitment

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

2026 Timeline (Undergraduate & Graduate Teams)

2026 Timeline (High School Teams)