WASHINGTON, Feb. 19—In one month, more than 200 of the country’s top construction professionals in trades like carpentry, drywall, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and welding will compete at the premier skilled trades contest in Salt Lake City at Associated Builders and Contractors’ 37th annual National Craft Championships.
NCC highlights lifelong learning in construction, drawing the country’s most talented craft professionals to show the importance of craft education.
ABC’s annual Construction Management Competition will also take place on March 19. Here, 31 teams of students from colleges and universities with leading construction management programs will put their project management skills to the test by completing the same real-life construction project.
WHAT: 2026 National Craft Championships, a construction trades competition, and 2026 Construction Management Competition, for competing university and college teams, during ABC Convention 2026. View video highlights and images from the 2025 NCC competition, and video highlights and images from the 2025 CMC competition.
WHO: More than 200 of the nation’s best construction craft professionals and 32 teams of construction management students from colleges and universities.
WHEN: Thursday, March 19, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. MT
WHERE: Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 West South Temple St., Salt Lake City, Utah 84150
WHY: At NCC, craft students and apprentices from across the country demonstrate their superior skills and safe work practices and compete for top honors. The NCC features 15 competitions with skills on display in 11 crafts. The NCC also featured a team commercial competition with journey-level craft professionals from different trades working to complete a joint project. The competition includes a two-hour online exam and a six-hour practical performance test.
CMC gives the nation’s top construction management students a glimpse into the real world of construction, as well as an opportunity to showcase their talents and provide them valuable, resume-building experience. In addition to creating a significant learning opportunity, the competition fosters an environment that will bring out the best in each team, encourages dialogue among the students, builds team spirit and heightens problem-solving skills as students rise to meet this challenge.
ABC’s all-of-the-above approach to workforce development has produced a network of ABC chapters across the country that offer more than 800 apprenticeship, craft, safety and management education programs—including more than 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs across 20 different occupations—to build the people who build America. ABC’s National Student Chapter Network, which connects local ABC chapters to colleges and universities with construction management degree programs, grew to 65 in 2025.
REGISTRATION: Members of the press must register by emailing Erika Walter, ABC’s director of media relations, by Tuesday, March 17. Media is invited to attend the competitions on March 19 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. local time. ABC Convention 2026 is by invitation only.
SEE ALSO: ICYMI: HIGHLIGHTS FROM ABC CONVENTION 2025
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