*Successful transition of students to competent work-ready health professionals requires an ability to work in health care teams.*Poor communication and teamwork practice has been implicated as a contributing source of error affecting patient safety.*Traditional university curriculum structures severely limit the time that students from different professions can spend together, learning about and from each other(interprofessional education [IPE]).*IPE initiatives need to focus on whole-of-system impacts and organisational sustainability.*The Health Care Team Challenge (HCTC) is a high-profile leadership strategy that engages students, academic staff, practising professionals, policymakers and industry in a whole-of-system approach to IPE and interprofessional practice. Interprofessional student teams compete at a live public event for a cash prize for the best management plancentred on a complex clinical case study.*National and international HCTCs are planned for future years.