Student Competitions

Student Competitions

Our students have an excellent record of winning awards at both regional and national competitions.  By participating in competitions, students increase self-confidence in their abilities and promote their on-the-job skills to prospective employers.

Competitions are offered through a variety of industry organizations, giving students the opportunity to collaborate with others and demonstrate their ability to solve construction-related problems by working on real-life challenges.

ASC Regional Student Competition

The Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regional Competitions are held every February in Reno, Nevada.  Student teams from universities in the Far West Region (Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and California) compete in four categories: commercial, design-build, heavy civil, and residential. Student teams are limited to six people per competition.  The team has 16 hours to develop a solution and submit a written proposal to the problem, which may be a construction project, or a design & construct project.  Judges from the industry hear oral presentations from students about how they developed their proposal, then evaluate and score the written and oral presentations using a prescribed set of criteria.

MCAA Student Competition

This national student competition sponsored by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is conducted in conjunction with the MCAA annual convention.  Student teams of six develop a proposal describing the design and construction of major mechanical systems for a construction project.  Proposals are submitted in December to be evaluated by the MCAA staff, the four highest-ranked teams are invited to make oral presentations at the annual MCAA convention, at which time the winner is selected.

NAHB Student Competition

This national student competition sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and occurs at their annual convention.  Teams of six prepare detailed proposals for the development of a residential project and make an oral presentation to judges.

Green Energy Challenge (GEC) Competition

Sponsored by the National Electrical Contracting Association (NECA) and ELECTRI International, the Green Energy Challenge invites teams of students studying electrical construction, engineering, design, and management to conduct an “energy audit” of a local project.  Entries are evaluated by a committee of electrical construction experts, who select three entries as finalists.  The finalists make presentations at the annual NECA conference in October.