The phrase "an attempt to challenge" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing an effort or endeavor to confront or question something, such as an idea, belief, or authority.
Example: "The researchers made an attempt to challenge the prevailing theories in their field."
Alternatives: "an effort to contest" or "a bid to dispute".
Here was an attempt to challenge a false dichotomy.
This two-seater luxury convertible was an attempt to challenge Mercedes.
He planned to ramp up lending in an attempt to challenge the "big four" banks.
However, that case involved an attempt to challenge the validity of a classification before receipt of a notice of induction.
Senior judges have rejected an attempt to challenge the lawfulness of the central plank of government's welfare policy.
RadioShack have hit the front in an attempt to challenge Cavendish, who is placed third at present.
For the next four years Essex remained in England, becoming an expert on foreign affairs in an unsuccessful attempt to challenge the long-established ascendancy in this field of the Cecil family.
A British pensioner living in South Africa, Annette Carson, has made an unsuccessful attempt to challenge the government policy under which 480,000 expatriate basic state pensions are not adjusted for inflation.
ID cards were abandoned, DNA samples of innocent citizens were destroyed, and – with Ken Clarke at the Ministry of Justice – there was an overdue attempt to challenge mass incarceration.
A statement from the Guardian, a backer of 10 10, which exclusively showcased No Pressure, said: "The film may have been somewhat tasteless, but it was an imaginative attempt to challenge public apathy over climate change.
Far Cry 4, for example, was certainly accused of being too much like Far Cry 3, and the more you play Primal, the more it feels like an elaborate attempt to challenge all the assumptions around sequels and spin-offs.
