Design and Make Challenge 2025 (DMC 2025)
Dialogic Solutions Ltd invites undergraduate and postgraduate students across Africa to participate in the Design and Make Challenge 2025 (DMC2025). This competition welcomes teams of up to six students from any African University, Polytechnics, Monotechnic, Institute or College.
Each team must include at least one female student to align with our commitment to gender equity and inclusion under SDG5 and Dialogic commitment to promoting Women in STEM.
Organized under the Design, Engineering and Manufacturing Programme (DEMP) and managed by Dialogic Engineering (DE), DMC2025 is designed to inspire African youths to undertake a rewarding hands-on innovative project using project-based-team-based (PBTB) framework.
Prizes
1st Prize: NGN 500,000 + Certificate
2nd Prize: NGN 300,000 + Certificate
3rd Prize: NGN 200,000 + Certificate
Benefits to Participants
- Virtual workshop on PBTB framework and rapid prototyping methodologies.
- Opportunity to win a financial award and certificate of award.
- Certificate of participation for all registered team members.
- Free enrolment in Dialogic Knowledge Ecosystems Masterclass for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place team members.
- Eligibility to apply for paid Dialogic Graduate Internship.
- Access to a free scholarship handbook (local & international opportunities).
- Gain insights on Education for Sustainable Development Goals (E4SDG).
- Support in publishing academic articles in international journals for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place teams.
Registration Details
Registration Fee
$50 or £40 or ₦70,000 per team.
Account details
Account Name: Dialogic Solutions Limited.
Bank: Fidelity Bank Plc, Nigeria.
Naira: 5601497359
USD: 5250508802
GBP: 5250508833
Registration Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI_kUcP7tcfxE2OwAhm3MMK5fasBjWBBXFrCYJ-TFrUpAe3g/viewform
Key Dates and Timelines
- Awards Announcement: 30 May 2026
- Deadline: 15 December 2025
- Workshop & Briefing: 20 December 2025
- Awards Announcement: 30 May 2026
About the Challenge
DMC2025 is more than a competition — it is a capacity-building initiative focusing on driving practical design, engineering and manufacturing skills in Africa. The intended learning outcomes for the participants include the development of the following technical and soft skills:
- Problem-solving skill
- Teamwork and collaboration skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication skills
- Research and report writing skills
- Leadership and followership skills
- Critical, synthetic, systems and analytical thinking skills
- Time management and organisation skills
- Digital and engineering skills
Projects for DMC2025
Teams can select one of the following projects which falls under different applications.
- 1. Agriculture: Fruit juicer powered by solar energy.
- 2. Mobility: Scooter powered by solar energy.
- 3. Ergonomics: Reading lamp powered by solar energy.
- 4. Technology: Internet-of-thing (IOT) device that can measure electricity consumption.
- 5. Renewable energy: Intelligent solar tracker.
DMC2025 Alignment with E4SDG
The projects are aligned with African Union’s Scientific Innovation strategy and the following SDGs.
- SDG2: Zero Hunger.
- SDG3: Good Health & Well-being.
- SDG4: Quality Education.
- SDG5: Gender Equality.
- SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy.
- SDG12: Responsible Consumption & Production.
- SDG13: Climate Action.
- SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals.
Expected Outputs / Deliverables
Dialogic Engineering team and the project Mentors will support the DMC teams to deliver the following outputs.
- Hand sketches of conceptual designs.
- Engineering drawings of selected product.
- Technical report.
- Powerpoint presentation.
- 1-page Poster presentation.
- Individual CV.
Detailed briefing documents will be provided to registered teams before workshop/briefing session.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who can participate?
Undergraduate and Postgraduate students (Masters and PhD) from any African country. It’s a continent-wide Challenge.
Is it only for STEM students?
No. Diverse skills are required. However, teams should include STEM students to satisfy the technical requirements of the Challenge.
How many people should be in a team?
Maximum of six (6) students per team. At least one team member must be a female from any discipline.
Are mentors required?
Yes. Each team should be supported by at most two mentors who will provide mentoring, coaching and feedback. It is recommended that mentor should have a STEM background. Mentors can be Lecturers, Consultants, entrepreneurs or a professional working in the industry.
Why should anyone care about this challenge?
DMC2025 promotes practical innovation and hands-on engineering design using the Lean and Agile Design & Rapid Prototyping (LADRP) methodology. Students have opportunities to apply learned skills and develop new skills.
What will participants design and make?
Any of the listed DMC2025 projects. Details on the rubrics for assessment will be provided in the briefing document.
How does this relate to SDGs?
The projects and processes are linkable to food security, clean energy, climate change, gender equality, quality education, health and wellbeing.
What skills will participants gain?
Technical and soft skills including research for problem-solving, communication, reporting, teamwork, design, leadership, design process, engineering, manufacturing, etc.
How do I contact the Dialogic Engineering Team for support or enquiries?
Email: info@dialogicsl.com
Website: https://www.dialogicsl.com
Can Dialogic waive the Registration fees?
The registration fee has been discounted by Dialogic Solutions Limited up to 150% of the actual fee to encourage students across Africa to benefit from the skills the Challenge offers. Secondly, up to six persons are allowed in a team so that they can contribute a portion of the fee. Team members are encouraged to seek support from parents, carers, siblings, friends, School Department , Faculty, Government, NGOs or other sponsors if they cannot afford the current fee. Fees are non-refundable.
If my Team is not from Nigeria , how do we get our financial award?
Your financial reward will be paid with the currency you used to register for the challenge (i.e. Naira, Pounds or Dollar). Conversion to your local currency will be based on the prevailing exchange rate on the date on the transaction.
