Matter Challenges reward a specific action: an Admin creates a challenge (finish security training, walk 10,000 steps, post about your team), announces it in Slack or Microsoft Teams, people claim it with a short explanation or a file, and an Award Manager approves the claim to release the coins.
Who can use this: Challenges are included on the Pro and Enterprise plans and during the free trial. Workspace Admins create and share challenges, the Award Managers they choose review claims, and anyone in the audience can claim.
Challenges video guides
A short walkthrough of creating, sharing, claiming, and approving a challenge. Pick your platform.
Slack
Microsoft Teams
What are Challenges?
Kudos reward what someone already did. A challenge asks for something first and rewards it when it is done, which makes it the right tool for wellness, learning, onboarding, compliance, and anything else where you want everyone to take the same action. Every challenge has a name, description, and image, an optional coin reward, rules about evidence and how many claims are allowed, a start and end date, an audience, and the Award Managers who approve claims.
Why Challenges with Matter
Fully integrated in Slack and Teams: announce the challenge in your channel, let people claim from there, and let Award Managers approve with a click in a direct message.
Shaped to your goals: set the reward, the deadline, claim limits, whether proof is required, and who can take part.
No spreadsheets: claims, evidence, approvals, and coins all flow through Matter, and one report holds every challenge and claim.
Challenge examples
When you turn Challenges on, your workspace is preloaded with example challenges you can edit or use as they are, such as a 10k step challenge, completing security training, and posting about work culture on social media.
➡️ Learn more: Default challenge examples
How Challenges work
1. Create a challenge
In the web app, go to Awards Manager, then Challenges. Give the challenge a name, description, image, and coin reward; decide whether claims need evidence (an image or PDF), how many successful claims are available in total and per person, and who the Award Managers are; set a start and end date; and open it to everyone or to specific member groups.
➡️ Learn more: Creating a challenge, Member Groups
2. Announce it in Slack or Teams
When a challenge goes live, Matter sends you a direct message with View Challenge and Share Challenge. Sharing opens a templated announcement you can edit and post to your Matter channel.
➡️ Learn more: Sharing a challenge
3. People claim it
From the announcement or the Challenges page in the web app, a member clicks Claim, writes a short explanation, and attaches evidence if the challenge asks for it.
➡️ Learn more: Submitting a challenge claim
4. An Award Manager approves or declines
Award Managers are notified in the web app and, if you choose, by direct message in Slack or Teams. They can see the explanation and download the evidence, then approve (coins are sent automatically) or decline with a reason.
➡️ Learn more: Approving or declining a challenge claim
5. Track results
Under Awards Manager, then Reports, Admins download an Excel report with every challenge, every claim and its outcome.
➡️ Learn more: Challenges report
Which Matter feature should I use?
Feature | Who gives it | Best for |
Challenges | People claim, Award Managers approve | Rewarding a specific action everyone can take |
Award Managers you choose | Formal recognition for a big win | |
Anyone | Everyday thanks between teammates |
Terms to know
Claim: a member's submission that they completed the challenge, with an explanation and optional evidence.
Evidence: a file (image or PDF, up to 2 MB) the challenge can require with each claim.
Award Manager: a person chosen to approve or decline claims for a challenge. Award Managers do not need to be Admins.
Max claims: the limit on successful claims, in total and per person.
Awards Manager: the section of the web app where Admins manage Challenges, Spot Awards, and Reports.
FAQs
Can a challenge be claimed more than once?
Yes, if you allow it. Set the maximum claims per person when you create the challenge. Creating a challenge
Can we limit a challenge to one team?
Yes. Set the audience to one or more member groups instead of everyone.
Do people have to upload proof?
Only if the challenge requires evidence. Otherwise a short written explanation is enough. Submitting a challenge claim
What happens when a claim is declined?
The Award Manager gives a reason and the member is notified. No coins are sent. Approving or declining a challenge claim
Can a challenge run without coins?
Yes. Leave the coin reward empty and the challenge is recognition only.
Do challenges cost anything when they are claimed?
No. Coins are free to give. You are only charged when an Admin approves a reward redemption. Do I prepay for coins and rewards?
Which plans include Challenges?
Challenges are included on the Pro and Enterprise plans, and in every workspace during the free trial.
Still stuck? Email support@matterapp.com.