Why IBS Attendees Should Watch the Student Competition
The NAHB Student Competition at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) features contests between the sharpest up-and-coming land developers, project managers and designers from NAHB’s Student Chapters.
During the competition, students present and defend sharp professional building proposals, which are reviewed, critiqued and judged by a panel of construction company executives.
“You’re seeing a significant investment in the future, and you’re seeing the best and the brightest students that are interested in home building,” said Eric Holt, associate professor of practice at the University of Denver, and Student Chapter advisory board member.
“If you want to see and recruit for your future workforce, come to these presentations. You’ll meet students that have dedicated their semester to this. They’ve put a ton of hours and work into this, their faculty has done a bunch of fundraising and coaching. This is the best of the best for home building’s future.”
Seventy-four teams are set to compete across four student competitions: four-year programs (production homes, undergraduate and graduate students), four-year programs (custom/small build), associate programs and secondary programs. Teams will present in 30-minute intervals.
“Industry professionals attending IBS need to understand that these students aren’t as green as they might think,” said Alicia Cox Skoug, Washington D.C. division president for Drees Homes and a judge for the four-year and graduate programs production home build competition.
“They understand the nuances and have the big-picture idea of what needs to go into a project. It’s also just impressive to see these students come in and present. It’s like a dissertation.”
All IBS attendees are encouraged to attend the Student Competition. The three-day contests start on Monday, Feb. 24 and end Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The full schedule is available here and open to all attendees.
Latest from NAHBNow
Apr 02, 2025
How NAHB's HBCU Student Leadership Program Shaped Their FuturesTwo students of the program share how their career trajectories were changed by their experiences with NAHB.
Apr 01, 2025
Eliminating Excessive Regulations Will Ease the Nation’s Housing Affordability CrisisExcessive government regulations are frustrating the efforts of home builders and multifamily developers to build more housing and address the nation’s housing affordability crisis, NAHB told Congress today.
Latest Economic News
Apr 01, 2025
Private Residential Construction Spending Rises in FebruaryPrivate residential construction spending increased by 1.3% in February, rebounding from a 1.2% dip in January. The growth was largely driven by higher spending on single-family construction and residential improvements. On a year-over-year basis, the February report showed a 1.6% gain, indicating a modest growth in private residential construction spending during market uncertainties.
Apr 01, 2025
Soft Job Openings Estimate for ConstructionAfter a period of slowing associated with declines for some elements of the residential construction industry, the count of open construction sector jobs remained lower than a year ago, per the February Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
Mar 31, 2025
Affordability Pyramid Shows 94 Million Households Cannot Buy a $400,000 HomeNAHB recently released its 2025 Priced-Out Analysis, highlighting the housing affordability challenge. While previous posts discussed the impacts of rising home prices and interest rates on affordability, this post focuses on the related U.S. housing affordability pyramid. The pyramid reveals that 70% of households (94 million) cannot afford a $400,000 home, while the estimated median price of a new home is around $460,000 in 2025.