NAHB Student Competition Honors Next Generation of Builders

The 2025 International Builders' Show (IBS) boasted its largest attendance in 17 years with more than 81,000 builders, remodelers, developers and other home building professionals filling the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

While hundreds of students participated in the industry-leading education and networking opportunities offered at the show, their attention was on the prestigious NAHB Student Competition they'd been working toward for months.

Over the span of two days, the aspiring project managers, land developers and designers from NAHB Student Chapters across the country presented intricate building proposals to an audience of construction company executives.

"I think this is the realest experience you can get while in college," said Sean Ross, a student at California Polytechnic State University. "You're able to tackle actual development. You can take your plans and build it. There's nothing like it."

"You can have a residential class, and that sets you up well," said California Polytechnic State University student Emily Edmondson. "But to dive into the level of detail needed for a project like this, it's a whole other educational experience that you don't get from class."

Seventy-six teams participated in the competitions, up from 63 a year ago. The winners were announced in front of a packed crowd during NAHB's Student Chapters Awards Ceremony at the LVCC on Feb. 28.

"We worked hard," said Gage Redman, a student at the University of Oklahoma. "We had weekly meetings and collaborated whenever we had a chance outside of classes at school. But my favorite part was getting to Las Vegas, flying with the team, checking into the hotels with everyone's been a lot of fun."

Registration for the 2026 Student Competition will open Aug. 22, 2025.

Looking to start a new student chapter to compete in the 2026 Student Competitions? NAHB's New Student Chapter Toolkit is the premier guide to getting started.

Four-Year College and Graduate Programs (Production Homes)

First Place: Texas A&M University

Second Place: Michigan State University

Third Place: University of Denver (Graduate)

Rookie of the Year: Roger Williams University

Four-Year College Programs (Custom/Small Build)

First Place: University of Denver

Second Place: Louisiana State University

Third Place: Purdue University (Team Black)

Rookie of the Year: Norfolk State University

Associate Programs - Construction Management

First Place: Kirkwood Community College (IA)

Second Place: College of Southern Idaho

Third Place: North Dakota State College of Science

Rookie of the Year: University of Montana - Missoula College

Secondary School Programs - Architecture

First Place: York County School of Technology

Secondary School Programs - Construction Management

First Place: Bartow High School (FL)

Second Place: Baldwin Preparatory Academy (AL)

Third Place: Green Mountain High School (Team Rising Rams) (CO)