About the TOM Global Innovation Challenge

About the GIC & FAQs

The annual TOM Global Innovation Challenge is a competition among teams who have a passion to design, engineer, and create technological solutions that help others.

Makers, engineers, students, designers, and care specialists form teams that compete to create affordable, open-source solutions designed to address challenges people with disabilities are facing in their daily lives. Teams have the option to compete with new projects or submit existing solutions they previously developed.

This is the sixth annual TOM Global Innovation Challenge, since its start in 2021. This project was created to inspire the global maker movement, as well as the network of TOM communities worldwide, to use their skills to create meaningful open-source solutions for people with disabilities in their communities.

The GIC is a flagship annual program that contributes to TOM’s vision of creating thousands of open-source solutions, and by doing so will have the potential to help millions of people with disabilities around the world.

What should I do once I registered for the GIC?

Teams and individuals are free to start working on their projects by connecting with their team members, speaking with their Need Knowers, investigating the challenge, and start designing, developing, and documenting their solution. You are encouraged to use the resources provided on this website which will guide you through the development process.

How do the Project Themes work?

Every year we encourage teams to focus on specific areas when developing their projects. These are not mandatory, but provide teams a general direction for their projects. When registering for the GIC, please indicate the theme of your project.

This year's themes are:

Sports & Outdoors: Solutions that assist participation in competitive and recreational sports or outdoor activities.
Music & Art: Solutions that assist creation of musical or artistic expression.
Rehabilitation & Recovery: Solutions that assist rehabilitation and recovery from injury
Daily Living: A broad and general theme of solutions that assist in everyday activities such as mobility, personal hygiene, household chores, education, the workplace, and more.

In addition, in 2026 we are introducing a track to design accessories for the new 3D-printed Toddler Mobility Trainer. This track requires special instructions, so please let us know you have chosen this track.

Do I need a team to register?

No - you may register as an individual. However, see below about working with a Need Knower.

Do I need a Need-Knower?

Yes - your solution must be developed to directly solve a challenge presented by a Need-Knower. It is OK if you do not have a Need-Knower at the time of registration, but you must have one by the time you submit your project. There are tutorials and resources to help you effectively find and work with a Need-Knower.

What is a Need-Knower?

A Need-Knower is an individual with a disability or someone with an intimate understanding of- and direct experience with- the need the solution is addressing (can be a parent, care professional, etc.).

Is there a maximum number of participants in a team?

No. There is no limit to the number of members in your team.

Can we submit an existing project?

Yes. If you have an existing solution that you developed, you may submit it to the competition. In order for existing projects to be considered, they must be documented and submitted using the TOM Project Editor.

Still have questions? Looking for help?

Send us an email to challenge@tomglobal.org or join the GIC WhatsApp group chat after you register for the competition.

Click here to read the TOM Global Innovation Challenge Terms & Conditions.