Bridge Building

2021 Bridge Building Competition

The contest this year will be a 100% mail-in competition due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All bridges must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Spectators will not be allowed during the contest.

 

Watch Bridge Building Testing on line on Saturday, February 27th starting at 8am  Click here

 

About Bridge Building:
The annual Model Bridge Building Contest is a statewide program aimed at   providing interaction and communication among practicing engineers, high school   students, and other professionals. Its underlying objectives are to enhance the  appeal of engineering careers to high school students, begin establishing their   relationships with the professional community, and improve the prospects that such careers will be mutually beneficial to both society and the individual.

The top winners from each region in the state competition are eligible to  advance to the International Contest. A student from Parker, Colorado took first place in the International competition and received a four year scholarship to the Illinois Institute of Technology! For more information on the International Contest, see the National Bridge Contest link.

 

Competition Guidelines/Contact Information  2021 Contest Specifications/Rules
 2021 Diagram National Bridge Building Competition
   

 

 

Questions & Answers will be posted as they are received.

Question:  Who is eligible to participate?

Any high school or junior high school student may enter one model bridge for individual competition. Teams of students may construct bridges, but only one student may be listed and recognized as the entrant. ONLY ONE STUDENT PER BRIDGE IS ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES.

Question:  Is a school limited on numbers of entries?

There is no limit to the number of official bridge models that may be entered from any one school. The winners of the school team competition will be determined by the average of the three highest efficiencies of official entries of that school.

The contest this year will be a 100% mail-in competition due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Spectators will not be allowed during the contest.

All mail-in bridges must be received no later than 4:00 P.M. Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

 

Mailing Address for Bridges:

Bridge Building Contest, ATTENTION 86-68530
Bureau of Reclamation
P.O. Box 25007
Building 67, Room 152
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225-0007

Each bridge must have the students name and school clearly printed in ink on the bridge. All mail-in bridges must have a tag firmly attached to the bridge with the following information clearly printed in ink:

  • Student's name
  • Student's email address
  • Student's phone number
  • Name of the sponsoring teacher (if any)
  • School name
  • City in which school is located
  • School return address
  • Specify Region (1 or 2)

 

Please indicate if you would like your bridge and contest related documents returned

Mail-in entries will be returned to the student along with any contest related documents if indicated as such on the information tag.

First Place Winners in both Region I & II receive a $2,000 College Scholarships valid for enrollment in an accredited Engineering program.   Scholarships provided by the NSPE-CO Education Foundation and the ACEC Foundation. 

 

 

 

 

The Colorado Bridge Building Competition celebrated the 50th anniversary in 2017 and we dedicated the event to longtime supporter of Bridge Building, Gene Burdick (pictured on the left presenting an award in 1986).  We also initiated a The Gene Burdick Memorial Fund in support of Bridge Building.