Students Can Register Now for Career-Forming Competition at IBS

The best and brightest young talents in construction are set to compete at the NAHB Student Competition during the annual International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando. The competition is an opportunity for up-and-comers to apply their skills to real construction situations by completing a management proposal.

Zainab Sanusi, a project estimator for Bedrock Homes in Atlanta who participated in the Student Competition for Kennesaw State University, said her experience helped her land her dream job.

“I learned so much about what it takes to build a home [and development] from start to finish,” Sanusi shared. “I was able to learn how to design homes structurally and take what I learned throughout the years and apply it in terms of pricing out a home, determining where a home should be built as well as the coding side.”

The deadline to register for the 2026 competition is Tuesday, Oct. 14. The competition will be held on Feb. 16 and 17, culminating in an award ceremony on Feb. 18. More details will be available soon.

The student groups will compete in four different categories:

• Production Home Build (open to 4-year undergraduate and graduate students)
• Custom/Small Home Build (open to 4-year undergraduate and graduate students)
• Associate programs
• Secondary programs

“[The competition] was the best experience I had to prepare for my career without having internships or on-the-job experience,” said Emma Dickson, a director for community planning at Toll Brothers who participated in the Student Competition for Penn State.

The National Housing Endowment IBS Scholarship is helpful for those who may need financial assistance to attend the show. The application is open now and closes on Oct. 14.