For a downloadable printer friendly copy of this years rules, please click here.
The West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest (WVBDB) is a statewide contest intended to conduct outreach to middle school and high school students considering a career track in STEM occupations. The contest primarily covers bridge design, but individuals/teams invited to the Finals will also compete in a balsa-wood bridge building contest.
The Qualifying Round of the 2024 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest will begin Friday, November 17, 2023, and end on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 11:59pm EST. All individuals/teams must register at https://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com/register/. This will ensure that the correct information is available to contact the finalists. All bridge design files must be uploaded to this website to officially enter the contest. All contest and event updates will also be posted on the website.
The Top 25(approximately) individuals/teams with the lowest cost designs will be invited to participate in the Finals (with at least five Middle School individuals/teams) that will be in-person at the WVU Institute of Technology Campus in Beckley, WV. Finalists will be notified by Monday, March 4, 2024, with invitation and details of the Finals event.
The WV Department of Transportation, Division of Highways is coordinating the 2024 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest. The 2024 advisory board members are:
Name | Organization |
---|---|
Hussein Elkhansa | WVDOT – Division of Highways |
Dustin Feazell | WVDOT – Division of Highways |
Jennifer Dooley | WVDOT – Division of Highways |
Erika Klose | WV Department of Education |
Horng-Jyh Yang | WVU Institute of Technology |
Benjy Simpson | Bridge Walk LLC |
If you have any questions about the 2024 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest, please contact dotwvbdb@wv.gov.
The schedule for the 2024 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest is shown in the table below and will be updated on the website accordingly. Registration can be completed at https://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com/register/. The Qualifying Round will end on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. The Top 25(approximately) individuals/teams with the lowest cost designs will be invited to participate in the Finals.
Event | Dates |
---|---|
Registration | November 17, 2023 – March 1, 2024 |
Qualifying Round | November 17, 2023 – March 1, 2024 |
Notification of Finalists | March 4, 2024 |
Deadline to RSVP | March 11, 2024 |
Finals | April 5-7, 2024 |
The Bridge Designer 2024 software can be downloaded from https://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com/software/. The bullets below provide an overview of the software use. Additional tutorials are provided on the website:
Assistance can be requested up to Friday, February 16, 2024. Teachers or Students may submit a request for an engineering professional to explain how to use the Bridge Designer 2024 software and teach some aspects of bridge design. The assistance will be provided by an undergraduate engineering student involved in an American Society of Civil Engineer (ASCE) student chapter (e.g., Bluefield State University, Fairmont State University, Marshall University, West Virginia University, or WVU Institute of Technology), a West Virginia Department of Transportation employee, or another professional engineer volunteer.
These requests will be handled by completing the “Contact Us” form here:
Bridge Design Tutorial Videos are also available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgTLt6aWunv35OGftvHYsEO-qxZDGyovl
Registration for the West Virginia Design & Build Contest must be completed at the contest website here: https://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com/register/. Any changes to emails or other team member’s information provided during registration can be made up to 2 business days prior to the end of the contest by contacting us at dotwvbdb@wv.gov.
The 2024 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest will utilize Bridge Designer 2024 software located here: https://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com/software/. Bridge design files must be uploaded to the contest website to officially enter the contest.
The Top 25(approximately) individuals/teams with the lowest cost designs will be invited to participate in the Finals. The goal is to have 50 students participate in the Finals. To have a similar number of middle school and high school participants and because students can enter individually or as teams, it is not possible to set an official number of individuals/teams that will advance to the Finals. Twenty-Five is given as an estimate and assumes that the 25 least expensive designs constitute team entries and are primarily composed of high school individuals/teams, with at least five middle school individuals/teams included in the competition.
Finalists will be notified by Monday, March 4, 2024, with an invitation. Finalists will have until Monday March 11, 2024, to accept their invitation. All information regarding event times, location and schedule will be posted on the website.
The FINALS will be a combination of a Bridge Designer 2024 computer lab design and Balsa wood bridge building contest in-person at the WVU Institute of Technology Campus in Beckley, WV (or virtually depending upon CDC COVID-19 guidelines). All information regarding event details, time, schedule, and location will be posted on the website.
All students invited to the FINALS will be awarded prizes. Students can win more by placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in both computer lab design and Balsa wood building categories. Finalists will win between $100.00 and up to $500.00 each, depending on participation. All prizes are in the form of gift cards. The Top 3 prize winners of each category will also be required to fill out a W-9 tax form and return it to WVU Institute of Technology, 410 Neville Street, Beckley, WV 25801. Additional information regarding prizes will be provided during the Finals.
The Contest Organizers & Advisory Board have made every effort to adequately explain the contest format and corresponding rules within this document. However, they reserve the right to change the rules without notice right up to the Final Round. Any changes will be communicated to the contest participants on the contest website. Please note all advisory board and judges’ decisions are FINAL.