NAHB Student Competition Success Shows Residential Construction Future is Bright
The 2026 International Builders’ Show saw nearly 75,000 builders, remodelers, developers and other home building professionals race through the halls of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Students attending the show took advantage of the industry-leading education and networking opportunities available, as well as the expansive show floor to learn about the latest and greatest in building.
But the spotlight was on the prestigious NAHB Student Competition they’d spent the last few months preparing for.
For two days at the show, aspiring home builders, land developers, designers and project managers from NAHB Student Chapters across the country presented thorough building proposals and fielded tough questions from an audience of construction company executives.
"We chose to build a lakefront lot that offered more of a bang for our buck," said Matthew Genereau, vice president of the Student Chapter at North Dakota State University. "It might not have been the cheapest, but we viewed it as the best value. We decided on a three-bed, three-bath selling price of about $1.7 million. The renderings were phenomenal and it’s nice having a team of finance, construction managers, architects, interior designers and even a civil engineer."
Eighty-five teams participated in the competitions, up from 76 a year ago. The winners were announced in front of a full room during NAHB’s Student Chapters Awards Ceremony at the LVCC on Feb.28.
Registration for the 2027 Student Competition will open Aug. 21, 2026.
"Start early, be prepared for the niche questions that come up and do your research beyond what’s set in the guidelines," Student Chapter at North Dakota State University president Austin Sichmeller said. "It’s important to dive into soil and target demographics. Make sure you really know how to sell the house."
Looking to start a new student chapter or compete in the 2026 Student Competitions? NAHB’s New Student Chapter Toolkit is the premier guide to getting started.
2026 Student Chapters Awards Ceremony Winners
Secondary Programs:
Construction Management
First Place: Raleigh-Wake County Student Chapter
Second Place: Charles J. Colgan, Sr. High School
Third Place: Baldwin Preparatory Academy
Rookie of the Year: Middle Bucks Institute of Technology
Architecture
First Place: York County School of Technology
Associate Programs:
First Place: North Dakota State College of Science
Second Place: Front Range Community College (Team 1)
Third Place: Kirkwood Community College
Rookie of the Year: Lawson State Community College
Four-Year & Graduate Programs: Custom/Small Home Builder:
First Place: Kennesaw State University
Second Place: Tuskegee University
Third Place: University of Oklahoma
Rookie of the Year: Appalachian State University
Four-Year & Graduate Programs: Production Home Build:
First Place: University of Cincinnati
Second Place: University of Denver
Third Place: Texas A&M
Rookie of the Year: Collin College Technical Campus