Throughout a rigorous three-month journey, you will co-create, prototype, and rigorously test evidence-backed behavioural interventions, developing solutions that are not just ideas, but ready for pilot implementation.
Compete to make a global difference and secure three prestigious prizes for innovative solutions addressing critical challenges in three key verticals.
Who should participate?
Nudge Studio thrives on multidisciplinary collaboration. We warmly invite passionate individuals and pre-formed teams of 1-3 members from across the world to bring their diverse perspectives to the forefront.
31 Jan 2026
Shortlisting
The top 20 teams, as determined by the initial review, will advance to this phase.
These teams are required to submit refined solutions for a second evaluation. This phase will culminate in the shortlisting of the top 5 teams, who will proceed to the Grand Finale.
Nov 1st, 2025
Onboarding
The program will officially begin with an onboarding meeting for all participating teams.
30-minute workshops and progress meetings to establish project frameworks and objectives.
Weeks 1-4
Diagnose
Goal: Move beyond surface-level problems to create a comprehensive "behavioral diagnosis," understanding not just what people are doing, but why.
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Activities: Teams will immerse themselves in the problem brief through problem selection, user research, observational studies, literature reviews, and stakeholder mapping. Expert-led workshops will introduce frameworks like the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior) to identify key barriers and drivers.
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Deliverables: A detailed Behavioral Diagnosis Report, including the outcomes from diagnosis and a draft Behavioral Problem Statement.
Weeks 1-4
Diagnose
Goal: Move beyond surface-level problems to create a comprehensive "behavioral diagnosis," understanding not just what people are doing, but why.
Activities: Teams will immerse themselves in the problem brief through problem selection, user research, observational studies, literature reviews, and stakeholder mapping. Expert-led workshops will introduce frameworks like the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior) to identify key barriers and drivers.
Deliverables: A detailed Behavioral Diagnosis Report, including the outcomes from diagnosis and a draft Behavioral Problem Statement.
Week 5
Define
Goal: Synthesise extensive research into a single, specific, actionable, and human-centred problem statement, focused on a single behavior.
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Activities: Teams will translate their COM-B diagnosis into a clear intervention strategy, say, using the Fogg Behavior Model (B=MAP), defining the precise behavior to be targeted, the motivation to leverage, the ability to make it easier, and the prompt to initiate.
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Deliverables: A clear Behavioral Problem Statement and a Defined Target Behavior with a Measurement Plan.
Week 6
Ideate
Goal: Systematically apply a "toolkit" of behavioral principles to generate a wide range of potential intervention concepts.
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Activities: This phase involves systematic brainstorming, leveraging a "toolkit" of behavioral principles (such as defaults, social norms, simplification, friction removal, salience, reminders, loss aversion, scarcity, to name a few).
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Deliverables: An Intervention Design Concept featuring 2-3 candidate interventions with a clear behavioral mechanism and a draft test plan.
Weeks 7-9
Prototype
Goal: Transform ideas into tangible, testable low-fidelity prototypes for rapid, low-cost experimentation and early validation.
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Activities: Teams will create prototypes (may be as simple as paper sketches, wireframes, or role-playing scenarios, allowing for "Snaptests" to uncover early behavioral friction points). Ethical reviews will also be conducted to refine prototypes for responsible testing.
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Deliverables: Prototype Test Documentation and a functional prototype ready for real-world testing. This phase includes a Demo Day (invite only for 10 pre-finalists per brief, based on earlier submissions) during the first week of January 2026 to share prototypes and receive feedback.
Weeks 10-12
Test and Refine
Goal: Measure the real-world impact of the intervention and refine it based on evidence.
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Activities: Teams will deploy their prototypes to a small, controlled audience, gathering rapid feedback through qualitative and quantitative methods, including user interviews, A/B testing, and usage metrics. This includes analysing pilot results, estimating costs, assessing operational realities, conducting equity checks, and developing a scaling roadmap.
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Deliverables: Pilot data and learnings log, an Implementation and Scale Plan, and a Presentation Deck showcasing the entire process from diagnosis to tested solution, complete with evidence and a plan for potential scaling.
14 Feb, BeCon 2026
The Grand Showcase
The top three teams (invite-only!) for each brief, based on their stellar Phase 5 submissions, will take the stage to present their groundbreaking ideas to the selection panel during BC2026 and claim the ultimate victory!
Beyond the finish line: outcomes and impact
Evidence-backed interventions ready for pilot implementation.
​Cross-disciplinary networks fostering ongoing collaboration and lasting connections within the behavioral science community
Participant upskilling in behavioural diagnosis, intervention design, and implementation.
Scalable solutions for significant societal issues in health, finance, education, civic participation, and social good.
Hands-on experience with professional tools used by top behavioral design teams worldwide
Positive, sustainable change through subtle prompts, default options, and friction removal rather than mandates or punishments.
The NUDGE Studio Design Challenge Advantage
• Extended duration: Our unique three-month programme provides the dedicated time needed to thoroughly research, co-create, test, and refine impactful solutions, moving beyond the limitations of short-term hackathons.
• Expert mentorship: Benefit from regular, strategically timed mentorship sessions with leading experts. This multi-tier mentorship ensures you receive the right guidance at the right time.
• Gamified learning: Our bespoke gamified ecosystem, featuring points, badges, levels, and leaderboards, is engineered to satisfy core psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This incentivises progress, learning, and mastery, keeping participants engaged and motivated throughout the journey.
• Real-world impact and ethical focus: All challenges are sourced from real organisations - NGOs, government agencies, or socially-conscious businesses - ensuring your work has a genuine pathway to impact. We explicitly require an ethics checklist for concept submissions, focusing on transparency, user consent, data privacy, and mitigating risks to vulnerable groups, fostering responsible behavioral design.
• Implementation pathway: Beyond recognition, NUDGE Studio Design Challenge aims to provide tangible support for winning solutions. This includes implementation pathways, policy introductions, and social media exposure, helping top teams pilot their solutions at scale.
Register Now
We warmly invite passionate individuals and pre-formed teams of 1-3 members
Who should Participate?
NUDGE Studio Design Challenge thrives on multidisciplinary collaboration. We warmly invite passionate individuals and pre-formed teams of 1-3 members from across the world to bring their diverse perspectives to the forefront.
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• Behavioral Designers, Enthusiasts and Students who want to explore deep into the understanding of human decision-making and solve real-world challenges.
• Public Policy Professionals and Social Entrepreneurs driven to tackle complex societal problems with evidence-based solutions.
• Marketers & Data Analysts interested in ethically driving behaviour change and understanding its underlying mechanisms.
• UX researchers and product designers looking to apply their skills in behavioural change and user-centric intervention design.
• Domain Experts and Community Representatives with invaluable sector-specific knowledge to contribute to real-world challenges.
Anyone with a keen curiosity about why people do what they do, and a powerful drive to create a better world through thoughtful design.