The TTI Brand Strategy Challenge is a statewide problem-solving competition for secondary-school students across Enugu State. We're looking for young people who can think, research, create and communicate.
Young people do not need to arrive with technical skills to demonstrate extraordinary potential. They need the opportunity, structure and exposure to show how they think.
The Challenge therefore does not ask: "What can this student already make?" It asks: "How does this student think when presented with a problem they have never solved before?"
Design does not mean logos, posters or graphics. Students are not expected to know graphic design, coding, design software or branding. Instead they investigate a problem → understand people → interpret evidence → identify insights → define the real problem → generate ideas → develop a response → communicate value.
The nature of the problem determines the nature of the solution: a campaign, a service, an experience, a product, a digital idea, a community intervention or something else entirely.
Eligible secondary-school students across Enugu State. Final age and class eligibility is determined annually, taking into account major examination periods including WAEC, NECO and Junior WAEC.
The programme is designed so that students are not unfairly excluded because they do not already possess professional design or technology skills.
Before starting, every participant gets a short Problem-Solving Primer. It covers how to understand problems, how to research and where to find credible sources, so students are judged on their thinking, not on whether they've seen design thinking before. Then the Challenge Guide provides structure without prescribing answers: stages, prompts, examples and submission guidance. Students decide whom they research, what questions they ask, what insights they draw and what solution they propose. The Guide is a scaffold, not a script.
Every participant responds to the same statewide challenge: one meaningful social, behavioural, community or business problem, explored through this process.
Interpret the challenge. What is actually happening? Who is affected? Why does it matter? What do you currently believe, and which of those beliefs are just assumptions?
Critical thinking · InterpretationInvestigate using primary research (interviews with classmates, parents, teachers, business owners, experts, people affected) and secondary research (articles, reports, statistics, existing solutions).
Curiosity · Initiative · ResourcefulnessTurn information into understanding. Look for patterns, contradictions, surprises, failed assumptions, gaps and deeper problems. The goal is not to collect the most information. It is to find the most meaningful insight.
Analysis · Pattern recognitionTranslate research into a clear problem statement: who you are helping, the problem they experience, why it exists and why solving it matters. Resist solving the wrong problem beautifully.
Clarity · Strategic reasoningGenerate possible responses. Explore multiple possibilities rather than settling on your first idea. The solution may take any appropriate form.
Creativity · OriginalityDevelop your strongest concept into something people can understand and use: sketches, storyboards, campaign concepts, service journeys, prototypes, product or digital concepts. Polish is not the point.
Translation of ideasPut your assumptions to the test. Gather feedback through interviews, concept tests, prototypes or small experiments. Good ideas improve when they meet reality.
Adaptability · Openness to feedbackPresent the challenge, what you investigated, what you discovered, the problem you defined, your insight, your solution, why it matters, your evidence and what you learned. You're not only judged on what you made. You're judged on whether you can explain why you made it.
Communication · ReasoningA student should not win simply because they have better software, better equipment, more design experience or a more polished graphic. The central question is: what quality of thinking does this work reveal?
Judges consider how well the student understood the problem, quality of research, strength of evidence, depth of insight, empathy, creativity, problem definition, relevance of the solution, ability to communicate, ability to respond to feedback and potential for real-world application. Technology access is considered so no student is unfairly disadvantaged.
A school has thousands of students but limited facilities. What would you invent?
A community produces thousands of plastic bottles without a reliable recycling system. What would you invent?
A farmer loses part of a harvest because produce cannot reach buyers quickly enough. What would you invent?
A teenager has to choose a career without really understanding what careers exist. What would you invent?
Outstanding students are invited to the Summit. The strongest progress to the Accelerator. Start here.
Take on the Challenge