The 38th annual International Bridge Building Contest was held on May 7, 2016 at Illinois Institute of Technology. Bright and talented first and second place winners of the Regional Contests came to campus to compete for who could build the most efficient balsa wood bridges within specifications.

Each student was given a standard kit to build from and was only allowed to use conventional adhesives. During the competition, bridges were tested for efficiency by adding weight to each bridge until they reached their breaking point.

This year’s first place was awarded to Abrar Hussain from Grover Cleveland High School. His bridge had an efficiency of 565 more points than second place winner, Quinn Jansma from Squalicum High School. Winner in the first place of the International Contest receives a half-tuition scholarship that is subject to the student applying and his or her qualification based on all regular Illinois Tech admission criteria. See the top four builders below.

The competition was sponsored by Illinois Tech’s Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and the Illinois Engineering Council. Performance judges included George Krupa, P.E., S.E., Chester Kochan, P.E., from Clark Dietz, Inc., Debra A. Zroka, S.E., from Milhouse, and many more notable professionals. The architectural judge was David A. Steele, AIA, Muller+Muller, Ltd. Bob Johnson (CE ‘69, M.S. CE ‘71), a longtime supporter of the competition, was on hand to take photos. See all photos of the 2016 International Bridge Building Contest here.

2016 Top Four International Contest Bridges

Click here for pictures from the 2016 Chicago Regional Bridge Building Competition.