NAFEMS Americas Highlights 2026 Student Competition

NAFEMS shares that the FEA Professional Program at the Colorado School of Mines is again sponsoring the $1000 prize for the Student Competiton for 2026 for the Americas Region. This initiative is jointly organized by the FEA Professional Program and the Americas Steering Committee.

Rules and Regulations

Eligibility for Participation

1. Nomination Criteria: Open to all undergraduate students in their second-to-last or final year of study, enrolled at any accredited U.S. higher education institution during the 2024-2025 academic year.
2. Degree Requirements: Eligible degrees must be accredited by a recognized engineering body (e.g., ABET) and can be either B.S. or B.Eng. degrees. M.S. or Ph.D. programs are not eligible.
3. Exclusions: The competition is not open to employees of NAFEMS or any individual directly involved in the organization or administration of this competition, including their immediate family members.
4. Verification: The project supervisor must confirm that the contestant is a registered undergraduate student for the academic year and that the submitted work is the nominee’s own.
5. Repeat Submissions: No previous submissions or closely related content to previous submissions will be accepted.

Award Guidelines

1. Simulation Technology: The project must demonstrate significant use of engineering simulation technologies, such as Electromagnetic Simulation, Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), or Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD).
2. Ongoing Projects: If the project is part of a larger ongoing project, it may be eligible if it introduces a significant new feature or a major modification. The student(s) must clearly articulate their contribution and achievements.
3. Publicity Participation: Winners give consent to their name and photo being used for promotional purposes.Winners may be invited to attend a NAFEMS event and would be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
4. Submission Guidelines and Deadlines: 

• Abstract submission: A 300-word description of the project must be submitted through the NAFEMS website by February 27, 2026. If it is a group project, all communication will go through the lead submitter.
• Finalists will be notified by March 27, 2026. Finalists must submit a 3-5 minute video explaining the project by May 8, 2026 and grant permission to use the video.
• Winner(s) will be notified by June 30, 2026.

Judging Criteria

1. Evaluation Metrics: Award winners will be selected based on their demonstration of:
   - Practical application of simulation, including validation of results and acknowledgment of limitations.
   - Comparison with physical experiments, theoretical solutions, and reflection on uncertainty.
   - Effective communication of the value and impact of simulation on the project.
2. Finality of Decisions: The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcomes.
3. Acceptance of Awards: Awards must be accepted as offered. Winners must notify the organizers by the specified deadline if they do not intend to accept the award.
4. Communication Restrictions: Only finalists will be contacted directly. Project supervisors and nominees should refrain from contacting NAFEMS personnel regarding the awards.

Cancellation

1. Organizer Rights: The competition organizers reserve the right to cancel the competition at any stage if deemed necessary.

General Provisions

1. Compliance: No responsibility is accepted for entries that do not comply with the competition rules.
2. Acceptance of Rules: Entrants are assumed to have accepted these rules and agree to be bound by them upon entering the competition.
3. Final Authority: The decision of the organizers is final in all matters, including those not explicitly covered in these rules, and no correspondence will be entered into.

N​eed more information? Reach out to [email protected].

To submit your project, click here.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.