ASCE Bridge Florida 2025

Overview

The ASCE Bridge Florida Competition is a free annual engineering competition for high school and middle school students in Florida. The purpose of the contest is to stimulate interest in math, science, and engineering through a realistic, hands-on engineering design experience.

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Test & Grading Conditions

• Objective

  • Design a bridge in the designated software that can safely carry a 225 kN two-lane truck load.

• Structural Soundness (Pass/Fail)

  • Each design must demonstrate safe load-carrying capacity under the 225 kN truck load.

  • “Safe” means no critical failures or excessive deflection under load per standard engineering checks within the software.

• Cost Evaluation

  • Only bridges that pass the structural check are considered for cost evaluation.

  • The lowest total cost (as indicated by the software’s cost metrics) wins.

  • In the event of a tie, judges may consider secondary factors (e.g., aesthetic design or material efficiency).

 

Official Rules

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 Eligibility 

To compete in the ASCE Bridge Florida Competition, you must be either:

• a student in grades 6-12, currently enrolled in a school located within the state of Florida; or

• a student who is legally home-schooled, studying at the 6th-12th grade level, and living within the State of Florida.

 

Contest Categories

You will compete in one of two contest categories, depending on your current grade level:

• Middle School Category | Grades 6-8

• High School Category |  Grades 9-12

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Teams

You may compete individually or in teams of two members each. Competing in teams of two is strongly encouraged. There is no limit on the number of teams from a given school.

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Prizes

The minimum monetary award levels at the Space Coast Branch local competition are:

• Junior Division | 1st Place - $100 | 2nd Place - $50 | 3rd Place - $25

• Senior Division | 1st Place - $150 | 2nd Place - $50 | 3rd Place - $25

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The minimum monetary award levels at the Florida Section competition are:

• Junior Division | 1st Place - $1,000 | 2nd Place - $300 | 3rd Place - $200

• Senior Division | 1st Place - $1,100 | 2nd Place - $400 | 3rd Place - $300

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The only mandatory rule is the age/eligibility requirement. 

 

The Florida Section Competition will have two divisions.  The Junior Division is for grades 6-8.  The Senior Division is for grades 9-12.  Contestants may compete individually or in teams of two members.

 

All Florida Section finalists will be invited to compete in a two-part design competition using the ASCE Bridge Florida software.  The competition will be held in July in person at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL. The contestants who have a working structure with the lowest cost will be crowned champions.

 

These prizes are subject to change. The ASCE Bridge Florida Competition is a free internet-based engineering competition for high school and middle school students in Florida. 

 

How to Enter

To enter the ASCE Bridge Florida Competition:

• Download the Bridge Designer 2016 software and install it on a Windows or Mac computer.

• Start up the Bridge Designer.

• After closing the Tip of the Day, select “Create a New Bridge Design” and click OK.

• Click "Next" and then "Yes, with 6-character Local Contest Code".

• Enter the Local Competition Code "SCB16A".

• Click "Next" and begin designing your bridge! 

 

Schedule

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Important Deadlines

• April 20th, 2025 | Local Branch Competitions/Design Entries

• June 2025 | Student registrations for State event due (Eligible for winners of local competitions) 

• July 2025 | ASCE Florida Section competition

• August 2025 | Distribution of prizes from the ASCE Florida Section

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