NAHB Student Competition: Market Expansion
The mission of the NAHB Market Expansion Student Competition is to expose students to in-depth research, analysis, and strategic planning for geographic market expansion of a specialty contracting firm. Using real data and industry-relevant assumptions, students compete as they display their research, operational planning, financial analysis, and problem-solving skills in preparation to make company decisions and lead construction companies in the future.
The competition will be held at the 2027 International Builders' Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. The competition dates are Feb. 1-2, while IBS takes place Feb. 2-4, 2027.
2027 Competition Timeline
Sept. 4, 2026 — Project Posted
Oct. 13, 2026 — Registration Deadline* (this is separate from membership dues)
Oct. 13, 2026 — National Housing Endowment IBS Scholarship Application due
Oct. 23, 2026 — Live Q&A webinar with project sponsor at 3 p.m. ET (link will be available soon)
Nov. 17, 2026 — Team List Due (submitted through Dropbox link provided)
Dec. 1, 2026 — Last Day to Withdraw from Competition
Dec. 15, 2026 — Projects Due (submitted through Dropbox link provided)
Feb. 1-2, 2027 — Presentation Dates (in-person, Las Vegas Convention Center). 2027 NAHB Student Competition presentation schedules will be posted as soon as available (subject to change)
Feb. 3, 2027 — Judges Debriefing (morning, time TBD)
Feb. 3, 2027 — Award Ceremony (in-person, Las Vegas Convention Center, 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET)
*Register through the NAHB Awards Portal. The person registering the team will need their NAHB credentials. Next, select Student Chapters Awards and select the Student Competition application.
2027 Competition Materials
The 2027 competition problem description, rules and guidelines, and important materials are available below. NAHB encourages students to request to join the 2027 Market Expansion Competition Google group as a Q&A space for questions related to the competition.
