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
Apr 20, 2026
More Young Adults Interested in the Construction Trades, but Challenges PersistA new study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reveals that more young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are interested in the construction trades but more work needs to be done to educate the public that there are increasing opportunities for rewarding, lucrative careers in the skilled trades.
Apr 17, 2026
Single-Family Permits Decline Sharply to Start 2026Residential construction activity began 2026 on a mixed note, with single-family permitting weakening significantly while multifamily activity remained relatively stable.
Latest Economic News
Apr 20, 2026
Construction Workforce Shifts: Fewer Tradesmen, More White-Collar JobsThe long-running shift in the construction labor force away from construction trades and toward management, business, and technical roles is ongoing and gaining momentum, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey (ACS).
Apr 17, 2026
Count of Second Homes Declines in 2024In 2024, the number of second homes in the U.S. was 6.2 million, accounting for 4.3% of the nation’s housing stock, according to NAHB estimates. This reflects a modest decline from 2022, when the number reached 6.5 million. This decline suggests some cooling following the pandemic-era surge in second home demand.
Apr 16, 2026
Young Adults Report More Interest in the Construction Trades: 2026 SurveyNAHB estimates the U.S. has a structural housing deficit of 1.2 million units. Among the myriad of headwinds home builders face trying to close that gap is the industry’s chronic shortage of workers in the construction trades.