The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) held its finals day for the Technology, Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge 2025. Organised by MTA, this year’s event has grown, and featured over 20 finalists presenting their innovative projects to an esteemed panel of 9 judges.
This year’s TDI Challenge was, once again, hosted at Yamazaki Mazak at their state-of-the-art European Headquarters in Worcester. Mazak, a major manufacturing in our sector, provided participants with an exclusive tour of their factory and European Technology Centre, showcasing UK based manufacturing and opportunities in our sector to the next generation of engineers.
The TDI Challenge 2025 is generously sponsored by the Gene Haas Foundation, Vision West Nottinghamshire College, and Imagineering, who are all leaders in our industry. Andrew Ward, representing the Gene Haas Foundation and serving as one of the judges, said ““The Gene Haas Foundation is delighted to be able to sponsor the MTA’s TDI Challenge competition for the second year running. The TDI Challenge encourages skills for Technology, Design and Innovation and allows students to utilise existing coursework elevating those projects whilst maintaining the focus on core attributes of the course being studied.
We see some incredible work from the young people and the attention to detail, the thought processes and willingness to try new ideas is inspiring and bodes well for the future of UK design and manufacturing.””.
James Selka, CEO of the MTA, expressed his enthusiasm for the event’s growth and impact. “The TDI Challenge is not only growing, it is thriving! I extend my heartfelt thanks to the MTA Team and our sponsors for their unwavering support. This event exemplifies how the industry can come together to shape the future of the manufacturing sector. Despite the rapid growth of the UK industry, there is a concerning decline in the number of young engineers. They are our future and having some of the biggest names in the industry judge their projects is an honour for both MTA and the students.”
The TDI Challenge 2025 was open to students aged 14-19, providing a unique opportunity to showcase their creativity and innovation. Participants were invited to submit a design for a new product or concept and a two-minute video demonstrating its application and benefits. Finalists were chosen from the video entries submitted by the end of May 2025 and from two live regional events held at UTC Derby Pride Park & Silverstone UTC. The finalists were invited to present their ideas in detail at the finals event, where the winners were announced.
The MTA’s Education & Skills Manager, Danny Reed said, “I am thrilled to see so many students, teachers and parents from all over the UK engaged in the challenge and supporting the manufacturing and technology sector. This year’s competition showcased the biggest number of entries we’ve ever seen and it encouraging to see so many young engineers excited by our ever-growing sector.
“The TDI Challenge not only showcases student creativity but also emphasises the vital role of collaboration between industry and education in tackling future challenges and opportunities. This year’s event welcomes back former winners from 2023 and 2024, now serving as judges, who will share their inspiring experiences and the influence the challenge has had on their career paths”.
Indigo Wernick from Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern a former TDI Challenge winner from 2024 returned to join the judging panel for this year’s competition said, “being able to judge a competition that means the world to me as a previous winner was such an incredible experience. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners, it’s brilliant to witness such talent and innovation amongst our generation.”
The winners of the TDI Challenge 2025 are:
Key Stage 4
Winner: Nia Wood
Project: Signal Cycle
School/College: Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern
Prize: £500 for student – £1000 for School/College
2ND PLACE: Carys Hern
Project: SmartSort
School/College: Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern
Prize: £500 for student – £900 for School/College
3RD PLACE: Connie Lloyd
Project: Sensory Cube
School/College: UTC Pride Park Derby
Prize: £300 for student – £800 for School/College
Key Stage 5
Winner: Pacha Pritchard
Project: Time & Tide
School/College: Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern
Prize: £500 for student – £1000 for School/College
2ND PLACE: Jack Lockyer
Project: Smart Cones
School/College: Nottingham High School
Prize: £400 for student – £900 for School/College
3RD PLACE: Daniel Dzaptar
Project: Hub Pump
School/College: Forth Valley College
Prize: £300 for student – £800 for School/College
For more information, visit www.thetdichallenge.co.uk