On Oct. 4, ELECTRI International held the Electrical Contracting Innovation Challenge (ECIC) during NECA 2026 Las Vegas. At the Opening General Session on Oct. 5, winners were announced. The University of Wisconsin-Madison won, Iowa State took second place and Wayne State University came in third. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s prize was $4,000, Iowa State’s $3,000 and Wayne State University’s $2,000. Ava Wendelburg with University of Wisconsin-Madison won best presenter.
Students were tasked to put themselves in the position of an electrical contractor and perform various tasks related to the design of electrical systems in the project. For 2026, student teams integrated the best lessons from the past four ECIC competitions into a full project life-cycle challenge: bidding and estimating, project management execution, BIM coordination and design-build innovation.
A jury of industry leaders reviewed all project proposals and selected the three finalist teams to present their projects at NECA 2026 Las Vegas. Students were encouraged to work collaboratively to gain input and feedback on the proposal from contractors and NECA Chapter representatives, vendors, material suppliers and faculty members.
Four additional special awards of $500 each were presented to the student chapters for:
- Most Innovative Prefabrication Plan—Penn State University
- Best Change Order—Illinois Institute of Technology
- Most Effective A.I. Use—University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Most Influential Media Campaign—Dunwoody College of Technology
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].
