EDI Challenge
Join us for this year’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Challenge, which gives you a chance to explore innovative ideas to drive EDI, develop EDI solutions for our campuses, and build essential employability skills.
Throughout November 2026, you’ll develop and pitch your ideas while gaining insights from EDI experts.
Your next steps
To be the first to apply when applications open for the 2026/2027 challenge please complete the expression of interest form.
Express your interest
Got a question?
Contact us
What does the challenge involve?
The EDI Challenge is designed to encourage you to create solutions or ideas for our campuses. You will work in a small group with students who have similar interests to you.
The EDI Challenge will give you the opportunity to:
What are some areas I could be working on?
You can chose to work on any EDI issues impacting communities on campus. Below are some example topics provided by the Students Union equality, diversity and inclusion manager:
- Race
- Sex
- Disability
- Sexual orientation (lgbtqia+)
- Age
- Pregnancy or maternity
- Religion or belief
- Social class
- Neurodivergence
Taking part in the EDI Challenge this year was such a great experience! It pushed me to think creatively about diversity and inclusion while working closely with an amazing team and it was brilliant how much thought had been put in place by the Uni of Nottingham already into catering for every student and improving their experience here. The weeks flew by and it was exciting to see our idea come together and get feedback from the panel. I loved having the chance to pitch something that could really make a difference at our uni.
The EDI Challenge will take place over four Wednesday afternoons in November (2 – 4pm). You must be able to commit to all four dates and they will be in-person not online.
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Session one - The first session will introduce EDI efforts at Nottingham, with insights from the Student’s Union and the EDI team. Additionally, a guest employer will present on idea generation, offering advice on how to brainstorm innovative EDI concepts.
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Session two – In this session, you will continue to develop your ideas from the previous week. One of our employer partners will present on business innovation and how to pitch EDI ideas effectively. You will then be matched with students with similar concepts to yours to build on these, refine your recommendations, and craft a persuasive pitch.
What will I get out of the challenge?
By participating in our EDI Challenge, you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills in EDI to real-world challenges. This is a unique chance to:
Do I need to have an idea to apply?
There is no requirement to have an idea, we just need enthusiasm and a demonstrable commitment to EDI and to attend the four sessions.
Do I have to undertake work outside the four sessions?
There is no obligation to work on your idea outside the organised sessions but you may want to use your spare time to help shape your idea and pitch.