2023 ASCE Society-wide Competitions
Tech & non‐tech papers
AISC/ASCE Steel Bridge
Concrete Canoe
Sustainable Solutions
ASCE/UESI Surveying
Innovation Contest
Mystery Design
Competitions
ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition
Since the early 1970s, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapters have competed to be the best at designing, constructing, and racing concrete canoes. During that time, canoe mixtures and designs have varied, but the long-established tradition of teamwork, camaraderie, and spirited competition has been constant. Each year, teams, their associates, judges, and other participants build upon this tradition. This year, teams answered a call for Technical Proposals and Enhanced Focus Area Reports and are competing to be the winning bid on a prototype standardized canoe design for future concrete canoe competitions. Learn more about the competition.
For eligibility forms, please see the “ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition Rules 2023”
AISC/ASCE Student Steel Bridge Competition
ASCE and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) are partnering to offer the Student Steel Bridge Competition (SSBC) at ASCE Student Symposia.
The Student Steel Bridge Competition challenges students to extend their classroom knowledge to a practical and hands-on steel-design project that grows their interpersonal and professional skills, encourages innovation, and fosters impactful relationships between students and industry professionals.
Each student team develops a concept for a scale-model steel bridge to span approximately 20 feet and to carry 2,500 pounds according to the competition rules. The team must determine how to fabricate their bridge and then plan for an efficient assembly under timed construction conditions at the competition. Bridges are also load-tested, weighed, and judged on aesthetics.
All teams competing in the SSCB must fill out this participation form.
ASCE UESI Surveying Competition
The ASCE UESI Surveying Competition’s educational and professional goals include a recognition of the importance of basic surveying principles to all civil engineering projects. Students will be required to use standard field and office equipment and procedures to solve common problems encountered in industry. A clear understanding of and ability to apply basic surveying principles will assist the graduate civil engineer in communicating and working with the surveying professionals on the job site and during the design process. Learn more about the competition.
The ASCE UESI Surveying Competition rules describe five tasks: a topographic mapping project with a presentation and four field tasks.
For eligibility forms, please see the “ASCE UESI Surveying Competition 2023 Rules and Regulations”
ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition
The ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition challenges students to develop a stronger understanding of sustainability and learn to incorporate sustainable solutions into everyday problems that engineers incur. Students are encouraged to be creative in their solutions and use all resources available. Learn more about the competition.
2023 Topic
The fictional City of ASCE wants to revitalize one downtown block of Engineer Street. The City hopes to turn the underutilized area into a gathering place for the community and reimagine the surrounding spaces to create a cohesive and walkable corridor.
For eligibility forms, please see the “ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition Rules 2023”
ASCE Student Symposium Paper Competition (MANDATORY)
The ASCE Student Symposium Paper Competition emphasizes the importance of being able to write and present a paper as essential communication skills for all engineers and often necessary for advancement in your career.
Good faith participation in the ASCE Student Symposium Paper Competition, including submission and presentation by at least one (1) member of the ASCE Student Chapter, is a requirement to advance to an ASCE Society-wide Competition Finals. Competitions requiring this include Concrete Canoe, Student Steel Bridge, UESI Surveying, Innovation Contest, and Sustainable Solutions.
No other Society-wide competition report or paper may serve as a submission for the ASCE Student Symposium Paper Competition.
At the Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, both technical and non‐technical paper & presentation categories will be offered.
The topic for the ASCE Rocky Mountain Student Symposium Non‐Tech Paper Competition is:
As the Colorado River Compact turns 100 and the American West faces an extended, historic drought, regional water supplies are increasingly overstressed and overdrawn. How can engineers ethically balance century‐old water rights; climate change; and the municipal and agricultural needs of growing populations?
Topics for the ASCE Rocky Mountain Student Symposium Technical Paper will be left to each individual school. The technical paper should focus on a technical issue that has relevance to the Civil Engineering field of study.
The mission of the 2023 ASCE Innovation Contest is to develop an innovation that addresses one of the following three ASCE Report Card topics: Drinking Water, Energy, and Roads. There is also a direct connection to the UN Sustainability Goals. Participating teams will develop and pitch their innovation to the judges and at a minimum provide proof-of-concept for its feasibility and innovative potential. The closer your innovation is to having a proof of concept and a business plan, the more persuasive the result.
For eligibility forms, please see the “ASCE Innovation Contest 2023 Rules”
2023 Rocky Mountain Regional Competitions
Mystery Design
The Mystery Design will be offered as an icebreaker on Thursday evening. No pre-work will be done on this contest.
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