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Design-Build Student Competition

2022 National Design-Build Student Competition Champions
University of Arizona

DBIA Student Competition

Student chapter teams show-off their design-build skills to industry leaders.

The National Design-Build Student Competition provides young design-builders the opportunity to create a project as a team, present it to some of the industry’s leading pros and earn national recognition for their good work. DBIA’s student competition provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to meet and impress design-build industry leaders one-on-one.

Register Your Team

2023 Design-Build Student Competition Now Open

Each year a unique project is chosen to challenge our student design-build competitors. This year’s project is an activity and recreation center on a liberal arts university campus in the United States.

This two-phase competition gives teams from colleges and universities the chance to respond to a Request for Qualifications (the first phase) and a Request for Proposals (the second phase), with the top three teams from the RFP phase presenting their proposals to a panel of industry leaders at the 2023 Design-Build Conference & Expo in National Harbor, MD this November. The competition is impressive and provides an incredible opportunity for young design-builders. Get started by registering your team today!

Team Registration
Getting Started

Project Details, Rules & Deadlines

The National Design-Build Student Competition provides a unique opportunity for students to showcase their collaborative skills as a team to industry leaders while making important connections at the same time. Teams should download our competition documents and rules to get started.

Download Details

2023 Student Competition Deadlines

PHASE 1
April 1 Team Registration
September 4 Letter of Intent (LOI) from Team Faculty Advisor Due
September 6 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Issued
September 8 Virtual RFQ Meeting—MANDATORY
September 22 Request for Qualifications Due
October 2 Region Competition Winners Announced
PHASE 2
October 2 Request for Proposals Issued
October 5 Virtual RFP Meeting—MANDATORY
October 18 Request for Proposals Due
October 26 Three Shortlisted Teams Announced
November 2 Proposal Presentation in National Harbor, MD (DC Metro Area)
November 3 National Competition Winner Announced
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University of Colorado Boulder

University of Colorado Boulder,

"As a student, you don't get a lot of chances to talk to the higher-ups within an organization. If you do well, they seek you out and want to get to know you. I think being in the top three allows you the reverse of normal students. Rather than you trying to seek out a job, people seek you out to offer you a job. We had at least one person say, ‘If you want a job, you have one with Company X.’"

Washington State University,

"DBIA's Student Competition was a learning experience of a lifetime—it provided 'real world' challenges that made us stronger and prepared for future success."

Sacramento State,

"This is a national professional organization that supports students in the competition; it’s as real-life as they can get and we can’t wait to enter next year!"

DBIA Membership

Join Us

Join the growing number of students who’ve already made their mark in the design-build industry by becoming a DBIA member. Special student rates make it the best investment you can make in your future as a design-builder.

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