On Saturday, Sept. 12, ELECTRI International held the Electrical Contracting Innovation Challenge, which encouraged NECA Student Chapters to problem-solve and work with their local NECA chapters and contractors. This year’s challenge focused on design-build.
This year’s challenge winner was Penn State University. The University of Wisconsin-Madison came in second and Wayne State University finished third.
Students created a proposal with the information they learned about the electrical contractor’s role on a design-build project. Students were challenged to put themselves in the position of an EC and perform various tasks related to the design of electrical systems in the provided project. ELECTRI International gave teams a narrative, basic set of architectural and structural drawings and a Revit model with architectural and structural links. Students were then challenged to design and virtually construct the most innovative electrical system to meet their customer’s needs.
A jury of contractors and industry partners evaluated the submitted projects and selected the top three student teams, who were then are invited to present at NECA 2025 Chicago. The jury evaluated each team’s substance and presentation.
Additional awards were also announced:
- Best presenter: Derrick Thomas at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Most complete and detailed estimate: Iowa State University
- Most innovative energy-saving solution: Iowa State University
- Best media campaign: Wayne State University
Winners were announced at the Opening General Session on Sept. 13, 2025, at NECA 2025 Chicago.
About The Author
Holly Sauer
Senior EditorHolly Sauer has worked for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine since 2019 and is the senior editor. She went to Washington & Jefferson College and studied English and art history. At Electrical Contractor magazine, she creates the newsletters and the new and featured products sections. She also edits articles for the three publications and occasionally writes on tools and industry news. She is fueled by the desire to read every book ever written. And coffee. Reach her on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
