The BP Challenge is:

students are challenged to design and produce a 'solution' best meeting the performance goals specified in the 'problem' given to them
the 'problems' are made more challenging by having constraints of materials, tools and time (similar to constraints in the 'adult world')
the 'problems' have several viable 'solutions' providing students with choices and development pathways

teams of three or four students are needed to develop and operate their 'solution'
the teams are self-managed, and to be successful they have to use all their individual skills most effectively both within a group and as a group to achieve a better 'solution' more quickly than they could have done individually (we want them to experience the value and excitement of working together as a team!)
continuous feedback is provided because the performance of their 'solutions' can be readily measured, and the team must then respond by further researching and modifying their solutions

teams compete with each other to see which 'solution' is best (the focus is on the 'solution', not on individuals)
the competition focuses on team work as much as on the best 'solution' because they generally have to make the 'solution' at the competition and operate it to show its performance
encourages and rewards teams with the best team-work, communication, inter-personal skills, creativity and development skills

risk-taking and innovation are encouraged by having the emphasis on the development of 'solutions' by teams, so 'failures' are merely learning points in the development process
the performance criteria are the goal (therefore not personally threatening) and team members have to be supportive of each other for the team to succeed
the focus is on ideas, not on the person suggesting them (every possible solution would be considered for its development potential, no matter how outrageous)
the situations in the BP Challenges encourage enjoyment in devising 'solutions' and a 'learning by play' element allows students to take the situations seriously as simulations of 'reality'
provides opportunities to experience the excitement and satisfaction of developing a viable solution to a problem
students can own the process of developing a solution and control it as a team

for students to gain many of the essential skills listed in the New Zealand Curriculum Framework (e.g. Communication skills, Problem-solving skills, Self-management & Competitive skills, Social & Cooperative skills, Physical skills, etc.)
for students to learn some of the principles of 'how things work'many 'problems' are similar to 'real' problems faced by adult designers and require a similar knowledge of core principles and problem solving processes and considerations (design processes, technological practice, etc.)
for students to develop and practise design and problem-solving skills in specific contexts
to assist retention of knowledge and skills to achieve the highest performance the team has to discuss ideas and practise their building and design skills
to encourage the transfer of knowledge and skills to new situations
for development of creative and divergent thinking as well as giving practise in diagnosing a problem and in making decisions

a range of 'problems' and constraints are possible, from complex 'problems' requiring considerable development time, to those which can be given to challenge immediate design skills by allowing very limited design and development time
many of the 'challenges' can be extended into 'real' or authentic situations using suitable materials
the basic BP Challenge can be modified to suit a range of ages, experience and contexts
many 'adult world' situations can be modelled as BP Challenges

in the search for their best 'solution' students need to research existing solutions and to identify which elements of them are useful and which need to be used in new ways
their 'solutions' generally model 'real' solutions within the limitations of the materials and time available
the BP Challenges engage students in all elements of learning, from acquiring knowledge to attitudes and motor skills
require the integration and application of knowledge and skills from all curriculum areas

simple, cheap, readily available and easily handled materials are used (such as newspaper, tape, string, straws, rubber bands, etc.) so that schools are not disadvantaged by cost
BP Challenges can be used in classrooms, halls or outside and do not require specialist facilities

few materials are used and the majority are biodegradable or recyclable
newspaper, the material used in greatest quantity, is given another use before rejoining the waste stream.