NCCER & Build Your Future’s I BUILT THIS! Video Contest

Words: Jennifer WilkersonThe NCCER & Build Your Future’s I BUILT THIS! Video Contest aims to give aspiring craft professionals and their instructors an opportunity to showcase outstanding construction projects.

Students and instructors are encouraged to submit their entries in the following two categories: high school and postsecondary career and technical education.

Be sure to enter your video before 8 p.m. EDT on Oct. 23, 2016 to qualify.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to the top two contestants in each category. One first place winner from each of the two categories will receive a GoPro HERO camera plus $50 in Lowe's gift cards, and one second place winner from each category will receive a Google Chromecast streaming device plus $25 in Lowe's gift cards.

Contest winners will be announced at the end of October in celebration of Careers in Construction Month!

Contest Rules

  • Entries must showcase projects that are relevant to the construction or maintenance industries.
  • Entries must contain a 1-3 minute video overview of the entire project.
  • Videos must also contain verbal responses to each of the following questions:
    • What is your name, grade or year in school, and state you are from?
    • What is your project?
    • Why did you build it?
    • Why do you enjoy construction and building?
    • What is your favorite career in construction?
    • Videos must be uploaded to Vimeo.com or YouTube.com and must be less than 500MB.

Entry Submission

To submit your project, fill out a contest application by clicking here.
Elevating Masonry: Old Habits, Familiar Tools, and the Real Reason Masonry Contractors Aren’t Making the Switch
May 2026

Ask a masonry contractor how they run their jobsite, and the answer probably sounds familiar: paper logs, a flurry of texts, maybe a shared email thread. It works until it doesn’t. And yet, even as purpose-built field management software has become more a

Erin Koets
MAP Partner
Read More
The Cornerstone of Craftsmanship: Nurturing Masonry Talent Through Competition
May 2026

In the evolving landscape of skilled trades, masonry stands as a testament to enduring craftsmanship and dedication. Yet, the question of how to cultivate and showcase this vital expertise remains paramount. While the bright lights of national competition

Robert Melgaard
Resources
Read More
There’s the Typical Way to Brace a Wall. And Then There’s a Better Way.
May 2026

Wall bracing is one of the most important safety considerations on any masonry jobsite, yet it is often treated as a task that happens after the wall is built. Crews return, equipment is brought in, and time is set aside to secure walls that have already

Abigail Spung
MAP Partner
Read More
Remembering Harry McGraw
May 2026

The masonry industry has lost one of its great teachers and craftsmen with the passing of Harry Edward McGraw, who died April 26, 2026, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 93.

Dan Kamys
Read More