HVAC&R Student Paper Competition

This competition is aimed at students working on their Bachelor and Master’s degree who are members of ASHRAE. A key component of the requirements is the preparation of a paper that is based on an accepted BS or MS thesis. 

Design categories include:

• HVAC&R technology
• Building services
• Indoor environmental control
• Energy performance of buildings

Deadline: November 17, 2025 (check for current year)

Additional Information can be found here.

Student Design Competition

ASHRAE sponsors this Annual Student Design Competition to encourage students to become involved in the dynamic profession of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration to apply their knowledge to practical design use, and to promote teamwork.

Design categories include:

• HVAC System Selection
• HVAC Design Calculations
• Integrated Sustainable Building Design (ISBD)

Deadline: May 4, 2026 (check for current year)

Additional Information can be found here.

Applied Engineering Challenge

The 2026 Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge (AEC) centers on defining the opportunity and potential application to integrate water consumption cold and hot with our space heating and cooling. 

Design:

Design and build an innovative system for rejecting heat to domestic hot water and absorbing heat from domestic cold-water systems in residential applications for space heating and cooling. This challenge centers on defining the opportunity and potential application to integrate water consumption cold and hot with our space heating and cooling.  Could be used to supplement ground loop heat pump applications, using the heat when available/advantageous, diverting to the ground loop when limits have been met.

Deadline: Pre-Register by April 4, 2026 (check for current year)

Additional Information can be found here.

Building EQ (Building Energy Quotient) Competition

The Student Activities Committee and Building EQ Committee have collaborated to create a new Building EQ competition. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate and audit building energy consumption for buildings in operation to give the building a Building EQ score using the ASHRAE Building EQ online tools. 

Design:

ASHRAE has developed a comprehensive building energy assessment and labeling program called Building Energy Quotient (Building EQ) to provide an analysis of a building's energy consumption or energy features and allow comparison to similar buildings. This competition takes theory into practice. It will give students the hands-on experience with operational settings while working collaboratively with building owners. Building owners will have the benefit of a student audit.

Deadline: May 4, 2026 (check for current year)

Additional Information can be found here.

ASHRAE High School Student Competition

The High School Design Competition is for students 13-18 years of age and provides the opportunity to take the first steps in designing a building’s HVAC system. This competition will expose high school students to the process that designers and engineers go through when designing building systems.

Design:

The 2025-2026 ASHRAE High School Design Competition focuses on the design of a fitness center located in Cairo, Egypt. Participants may choose to design a gym, wellness studio, sports complex, or other fitness-related facility inspired by a fitness center in your local area. Participants in this competition are tasked to determine summer cooling requirements for the different spaces in the building, select the HVAC equipment to be installed, and model the building and systems utilizing 3D Design Software.

Deadline: Register by November 30 (check for current year)

Additional Information can be found here.