Ontario - Co-op Challenge
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Create a Co-op Challenge
Every community has room for improvement. Your challenge is to find something that could work better in yours and come up with a solution.
Challenge Overview
Subject area: Business/Commerce
Junior Edition: Grade 9 & 10
Senior Edition: Grade 11 & 12
Teams: 3-5 students
Ripyl runs a series of free competitions for schools, based on curriculum-aligned business, entrepreneurship, and innovation challenges. Each challenge invites student teams to solve
a real-world problem, develop a solution, and pitch their ideas to external judges.
Designed to be relatable, engaging, and authentic, Ripyl challenges help students experience what it’s like to think and act like entrepreneurs.
About the challenges
Challenges are project-based and built around real-world themes students connect with
(e.g., community needs, school dilemmas, hobbies, personal interests)
Students work in teams to develop:
Collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
Creativity, decision-making, communication, and pitching skills
Strong curriculum knowledge in real scenarios
How it works
Participation is completely free for schools. Teachers run the challenge in their own classrooms using:
Ready-to-use presentation slides
Teacher notes with guidance
Clear judging criteria
Ongoing tips and support from the Ripyl Team
Access to the secure Ripyl platform to upload student pitches
If a class wants to participate, the teacher registers via the link provided. This takes the teacher to a secure platform, where they will access the challenge materials (presentation slides and teacher notes).
The teacher will provide team names and details within the platform (there is no student login throughout the challenge).
The presentation slides and teacher notes provide guidance for teachers and students to progress through the challenge. Note: The challenge has been designed for flexible use; you could either run this in class, or teams can work independently, depending on your curriculum and time requirements.
Final submission is done by the teacher, on behalf of each student group. Submissions are recorded videos (2-5 minutes long). The videos are uploaded directly to the Ripyl platform. An external panel will judge submissions.
2026 challenge
Every community has room for improvement. Your challenge is to find something that could work better in yours and come up with a solution.
Identify a real problem/opportunity in the community, working through solution ideation to come up with the best possible solution that could be designed as a co-op model.
Submission details
A recorded video of each team’s pitch is uploaded by their teacher for judging.
Prizes*
First, second, and third place teams and teacher prizes will be awarded.
Co-op Challenge
Real Impact, Real Stories.
