I started by facilitating stakeholder alignment — uncovering core needs across three distinct audiences and synthesizing them into a coherent product vision. Clear decision-making frameworks kept the project moving through potentially contentious design choices. I led brand strategy from naming through visual identity — developing a design language that communicated inclusiveness and opportunity while differentiating UpPrize from traditional business competitions. The "Everyone Wins" positioning became the foundation for all communications. For the platform, I designed the experience around the Idea Card concept — a single source of truth for each submission that simplified what could have been fragmented across multiple tools. Dynamic timelines, contextual feedback, and messaging features kept participants on track while giving administrators control over hundreds of submissions.