SME, Stratasys Announce Winners of 2026 SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition

Celebrating 13 Years of the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition

SOUTHFIELD, MI, UNITED STATES, June 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- More than 100 middle school, high school and post-secondary students from across the country gathered in Atlanta this month to showcase their additive manufacturing and engineering skills during the 2026 Additive Manufacturing Competition, hosted by SME and global additive manufacturing leader Stratasys as part of the 62nd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, held June 1-5.

The annual competition, now in its 13th year, highlights the growing importance of additive manufacturing in preparing students for careers in advanced manufacturing through hands-on experience solving real-world engineering challenges. Led by SME and Stratasys, this year’s competition was also supported by: Autodesk, SolidWorks, and Printed Solid.

Originally launched by SME and Stratasys in 2013, the competition introduces students to additive manufacturing technologies, engineering design and problem-solving through industry-driven challenges. This year, teams from three middle schools, 35 high schools and 13 post-secondary schools — representing 35 states and totaling 102 students — competed during the three-day event. Nearly 800 parts were printed throughout the competition using Stratasys 3D printers.

“Each year, this competition gives students the opportunity to apply technical skills in a collaborative, hands-on environment that mirrors the types of challenges they may encounter in modern manufacturing careers,” said Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation. “From aerospace-inspired design to additive manufacturing and engineering problem-solving, students gain valuable experience while building confidence in their abilities. We are proud to partner with Stratasys and our industry supporters to help inspire, prepare and support the next generation of manufacturing talent.”

The 2026 challenge tasked students with designing and printing a precision additively manufactured attachment system for a standardized glider launch platform inspired by aerospace engineering principles. Using 3D printing, teams developed lightweight, durable and repeatable launch systems capable of securely mounting and aligning a foam glider, safely managing launch forces and enabling stable flight performance.

Students were challenged to apply design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) principles, including efficient material use, structural reinforcement, integrated mechanisms and low part counts. Teams documented their engineering process in design notebooks and presented their final solutions to judges before completing live launch testing focused on functionality, repeatability and durability.

“Stratasys is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with SME in supporting this impactful competition that gives students the opportunity to apply additive manufacturing in meaningful, real-world ways,” said Jesse Roitenberg, Americas Education Manager at Stratasys. “This year’s aerospace-inspired challenge pushed students to think critically about performance, precision and design optimization — the same considerations shaping today’s advanced manufacturing industries. It’s inspiring to see the level of creativity, technical skill and innovation these students bring to the competition, and we’re excited to help support and encourage the next generation of manufacturing talent.”

As part of the competition, 96 high school and post-secondary students completed the Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals Certification Exam, which was administered at no cost and contributed to each team’s overall score. This exam is a certification validating an individual’s knowledge of industry-standard additive manufacturing concepts based on revisions to the Additive Manufacturing Body of Knowledge developed by the Additive Manufacturing Leadership Initiative (AMLI).

Middle School Winners
• Gold Team: Matrim Amendola & Brennan Anderson, Sleepy Hill Middle School (Lakeland, FL)
• Silver Team: Tessa Klein & Liliana Paez, Gifford School (Racine, WI)
• Bronze Team: Mateo Olivo-Cruz & Nolan Thibodeaux, Nellie N. Coffman Middle School (Cathedral City, CA)

High School Winners
• Gold Team: Mason White & Deacon Schoonover, Kirksville Area Technical Center (Kirksville, MO)
• Silver Team: Isaac Hilderbrand & Aidan Aylward, Belleview High School (Belleview, FL)
• Bronze Team: Colby Singsen & Jackson Singsen, Stafford Tech Center (Rutland, VT)

Post-Secondary Winners
• Gold Team: Wyatt Kreutzer & Hunter Trumble, Central Community College-Hastings (Hastings, NE)
• Silver Team: Wilber Calles & Noah Simpson, Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale, VA)
• Bronze Team: Lukas Snider & Brian York, Ozarks Technical Community College (Springfield, MO)

Winning teams at the high school and post-secondary levels were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals from SkillsUSA, along with 3D printers, scholarships, SME memberships and subscriptions to Tooling U-SME’s online learning platform from SME. Additionally, post-secondary winners were also granted full-conference passes to RAPID + TCT 2027, North America’s largest additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing event. Middle school winning teams were recognized with medals and 3D printers.

The annual competition continues to demonstrate how partnerships between education and industry can help students build technical skills, explore advanced manufacturing careers and gain experience with technologies shaping the future of manufacturing.

About SME
Established in 1932 as a nonprofit organization, SME represents the manufacturing industry, including manufacturers, academia, professionals, students, and the communities in which they operate. We believe manufacturing holds the key to economic growth and prosperity, and champion the industry's potential as a diverse, thriving, and valued ecosystem. SME accelerates new technology adoption and builds talent and capabilities to advance manufacturing and drive competitiveness, resiliency, and national security. SME designs new ways to understand and solve problems, and our solutions advance the next wave of growth in manufacturing. Learn more at SME.org.

About Stratasys
Stratasys is leading the global shift to additive manufacturing with innovative 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products and healthcare. Through smart and connected 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem, and parts on demand, Stratasys solutions deliver competitive advantages at every stage in the product value chain. The world’s leading organizations turn to Stratasys to transform product design, bring agility to manufacturing and supply chains, and improve patient care. To learn more about Stratasys visit stratasys.com.

About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is America’s proud champion of the skilled trades. Our student-led partnership of education and industry is building the skilled workforce the nation needs with graduates who are career ready, day one. As a national nonprofit membership association, SkillsUSA serves high school, college and middle school students who are preparing for careers or further education in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. SkillsUSA helps each student excel. SkillsUSA’s membership of more than 340,000 students and instructors encompasses middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions in every state and three U.S. territories. SkillsUSA programming covers 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. For more information: skillsusa.org.

Marirose Albright
Communications Specialist, SME
+1 248-798-2961
email us here

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