Confirm eligibility
Ensure you and your team members meet the entry criteria:
- Over the age of 18 and
- Less than three years' project experience or currently studying (full or part-time)
Register your team by 30 October 2026
Build real project experience. Make a real impact.
The APM Project Management Challenge 2026 is a team-based competition for students, graduates and early-career project professionals.
Working together, you'll plan and deliver a real project, apply project management best practice and develop skills that will support your future career.
To be eligible to enter you and your team must be over the age of 18 and have either less than three years' project experience or currently studying (full or part-time).
The APM Project Management Challenge is hosted by the APM Regional Networks across the UK, the Challenge runs from November 2026 to April 2027 and concludes with regional finals, where teams showcase their achievements and celebrate their success.
Attend our free webinar to learn more and decide if the Challenge is right for you.
PM Challenge theme 2026
'Projects for purpose: Delivering projects that create measurable social impact'
Teams must plan and deliver a project with clear social outputs that contribute to wider social benefit.
They should show how project management principles were applied, how success was measured, and how the project will create lasting positive impact.
Participating Networks
London Network • Midlands Network • North East Network • North West Network • Scotland Network • South Wales and West of England Network • Thames Valley Network • Wessex Network • Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Network
Why take part?
Benefits to you
- Practical project experience
- Leadership development
- Team-working skills
- Networking opportunities
- Recognition from APM
- Strong evidence for future applications
Benefits to your employer
- Staff development opportunity
- Enhanced project capability
- Community impact
- Employee engagement
- Future talent pipeline
- Increased organisational visibility
"By running a challenge it really improved my
confidence in dealing with stakeholders"
Farah Bennady, Project Controls Assistant, Turner and Townsend
Attend a free webinar
Whether you're a corporate employee or a student, join one of our free webinars to discover how the Project Management Challenge works, what you'll gain from taking part and how to make the most of the competition.
Hear from a previous winning team member, ask questions and find out why the Challenge continues to inspire the next generation of project professionals.
These short sessions will help you understand:
- How the Challenge works
- What commitment is involved
- The benefits of taking part
- What previous teams learned
- Whether the competition is right for you
For corporate employees
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Time: 12:00-13:00 BST
For students
Date: Thursday 15 October 2026
Time: 17:30-18:30 BST
How to enter. A step-by-step guide.
Form your team
Build your team and put the right support in place.
- Three to six members
- Choose a sponsor
- Select a mentor
Register your team
Submit your entry by 30 October. You'll need:
- Team member and sponsor names and email addresses
- Your nearest city for regional allocation
- Consent from all team members to share their details
Start planning
Start planning your project and prepare a strong proposal for submission.
- Review the competition rules and guidance
- Think about a project that aligns with the theme
- Begin working on your project proposal
FAQs
Who can enter Project Management Challenge?
The challenge is open to corporate graduates, apprentices or trainees who have less than three years of experience in a project role, or students who are undertaking study during the period in which the competition runs. If you meet these criteria, talk to your peers or colleagues to form a team and submit your entry form.
How can I enter my team?
If you have already identified a team of participants for the competition, please complete and submit the entry form naming your team’s participants. Please return your completed form to the email address provided.
What is the time commitment to take part?
As teams plan their own resourcing, this is largely dependent on the scope of their project and their role. As an estimate, previous participants advised that they spent around 2-3 hours a week once they reach the project delivery phase.
What happens during the competition?
Teams develop an idea for a project before creating and submitting a project proposal to a judging panel. Teams are encouraged to deliver a project which will provide social benefit. If the judges approve the project, teams will go on to deliver the initiative under the guidance of a mentor.
Why should I enter?
Enter Project Management Challenge if you want to improve your project management skills, increase your profile within the project community and experience a full project lifecycle, whilst supporting a cause that benefits society.
What is the role of the sponsor?
As part of the challenge, the project sponsor should be a senior representative from the organisation or HEI who endorses the team's participation in the competition. The sponsor confirms that the organisation supports the entry, that appropriate approvals and resource commitments are in place, and that the team has permission to represent the organisation throughout the competition. Sponsors should be identified before entry submission and are encouraged to review the team's final report.
Is funding provided for the project?
If your project progresses to the delivery phase, APM will reimburse finalists for money spent, up to a maximum of £150 per team. Spending will be retrospectively reimbursed through APM’s expense claim process and should be accompanied by full receipts for each claim.
How can I contact you?
Please contact us by sending an email.