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.
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.
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.
2024 Topic
The fictional City of ASCE is well known for its early 20th Century waterfront and manufacturing hub on the Big Brown River to support the budding industrial economy at the time. However, a decline and abandonment of the riverfront has since occurred. The City is seeking proposals to revitalize and redevelop three blocks of the waterfront area using the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision framework to meet the City sustainability goals.
ASCE Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition – Pilot Competition
The Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition tasks participating students with several real-world construction engineering challenges to which teams will be asked to provide written or diagrammatic responses as well as make an oral presentation to the “owner”. Sample projects will entertain all sectors of civil engineering, while the individual challenges will be related to: Traffic Control / Site Logistics, QA/QC, Safety, Public Outreach, Environment, Risk Management, and other concerns that project managers and engineers plan for. Each student team shall act as a construction engineering firm, and these responses shall be directed and delivered professionally, similarly to how a real company would address an owner requesting additional information from a firm during the pre-construction phase of a job.
This competition will continue to be offered as a pilot competition in 2024.
The rules for this competition can be found here: 2024 CI Rules
Marr Technical Paper – Student Symposium Paper Competition (Eligibility Requirement)
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.
Rules for this paper can be found here: 2023-2024 Marr Technical Paper Rules
Hardy Cross Competition
The Hardy Cross Competition is an oratory competition in which students will research a Civil Engineering topic of their choosing and give a report at the regional competition. Prizes will be given to the top three (3) presenters at the Annual Virginias Student Symposium.
The rules for this competition can be found here: 2023-2024 Hardy Cross Oratory Rules
Concrete Frisbee
The concrete frisbee competition consists of developing a concrete mix for a frisbee which will be judged on aesthetics and throw distance!
The rules for the concrete frisbee competition can be found here: 2024 Concrete Frisbee Competition Rules
Transportation Competition
Interested in applying transportation engineering topics and skills to your own college campus? Participate in the transportation engineering competition!
The rules for the transportation competition can be found here: 2024 Transportation Competition Rules
Geotechnical Competition
Want to apply some geotechnical skills that you’ve begun to learn in the classroom? Assemble your team and get working because the due date for this competition is March 2nd!
The rules for the geotechnical competition can be found here: 2024 Geotechnical Engineering Rules
Environmental and Water Resources Competition
The water resources competition will consist of assessing data and collecting a water quality profile via boat on Claytor Lake! Students will compile their results into a report which will estimate the expected water quality of the lake over the course of the summer.
The rules for the water resources competition can be found here: 2024 Water Resources Competition Rules