Why IBS Attendees Should Watch the Student Competition
The NAHB Student Competition at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) features contests between the sharpest up-and-coming land developers, project managers and designers from NAHB’s Student Chapters.
During the competition, students present and defend sharp professional building proposals, which are reviewed, critiqued and judged by a panel of construction company executives.
“You’re seeing a significant investment in the future, and you’re seeing the best and the brightest students that are interested in home building,” said Eric Holt, associate professor of practice at the University of Denver, and Student Chapter advisory board member.
“If you want to see and recruit for your future workforce, come to these presentations. You’ll meet students that have dedicated their semester to this. They’ve put a ton of hours and work into this, their faculty has done a bunch of fundraising and coaching. This is the best of the best for home building’s future.”
Seventy-four teams are set to compete across four student competitions: four-year programs (production homes, undergraduate and graduate students), four-year programs (custom/small build), associate programs and secondary programs. Teams will present in 30-minute intervals.
“Industry professionals attending IBS need to understand that these students aren’t as green as they might think,” said Alicia Cox Skoug, Washington D.C. division president for Drees Homes and a judge for the four-year and graduate programs production home build competition.
“They understand the nuances and have the big-picture idea of what needs to go into a project. It’s also just impressive to see these students come in and present. It’s like a dissertation.”
All IBS attendees are encouraged to attend the Student Competition. The three-day contests start on Monday, Feb. 24 and end Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The full schedule is available here and open to all attendees.
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
Sep 28, 2026
Median Revenue of NAHB Remodelers Grows 24%
According to the NAHB Member Census, 21% of NAHB builder members listed residential remodeling as their primary business. These remodelers tend to be relatively small, with a median of five employees and a median annual revenue of $2.1 million.
Labor
Sep 25, 2026
NAHB Amicus Brief Argues for Fair Due Process for Workers
NAHB filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit immigration case Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega. The case asks whether a person who entered the United States without official inspection may seek release on bond from a judge while the government considers deportation.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Sep 28, 2026
Market Share of 5,000+ Sq. Ft. Homes Edges Higher in 2025
New homes with 5,000 square feet or more of living space posted an increase in market share last year. In 2025, 27,000 homes of this size were started, accounting for 2.9% of all new homes started. Both the number and market share of homes with 5,000 square feet or more increased from 2024, according to annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).
Economics
Sep 28, 2026
NAHB Remodelers: What the Data Says
Twenty-one percent of NAHB builder members listed residential remodeling as their primary business, according to the 2025 Member Census. These remodelers tend to be relatively small, with a median of five employees and a median annual revenue of $2.1 million. This means that remodelers are even smaller than NAHB builder members, who had a median of six employees and median annual revenue of $3.7 million, as reported in a recent post.
Economics
Sep 25, 2026
State and Local Government Tax Revenue Grows
Total tax revenue collected by state and local governments was up 5.8% from a year ago in the second quarter, according to the Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue published by the U.S. Census Bureau. This was the highest year-over-year growth since the third quarter of 2024 (7.2%).