SAME 2026 Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge Awards Top Engineering Teams

Real World Challenges for Aspiring Engineers

Each year, student participants of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge demonstrate the creativity and ingenuity of tomorrow’s engineers and show the real-world impact of cultivating STEM talent in the A/E/C community.

The Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge is a highly competitive event providing college students with a platform to display their senior design, capstone, or curriculum-linked projects. The students present their projects to a panel of SAME members, with cash prizes and professional exposure on the line.

The challenge is put on by the College Outreach Community of Interest (COI), which works to serve as a bridge between academia, Posts, government agencies, and the private sector. The community presents opportunities for students interested in STEM careers by helping them build leadership skills, creating networking and mentoring opportunities for students, and assisting with job placement.

Real-World Solutions

The Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge is constructed to showcase design projects being developed by student members and to highlight innovative thinking grounded in strong engineering fundamentals. This year, nine teams joined the presentation process which encouraged teams of three to five students to communicate complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences. Cdr. Jeffrey Allen, USPHS, Assistant Director, Sanitation Facilities Construction, Indian Health Services, who participated as a competition judge, noted that “a group that effectively and enthusiastically speaks about their innovations and ideas tend to stands out. Communication is one grand key to success in engineering that is often overlooked.”

The 2026 Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge first place prize was won by the team from Washington University in San Jose, Calif. The team developed a practical and creative solution to assist the visually impaired navigate and interact with their environment safely and efficiently. The Locus Suit is a lightweight, wearable navigation system incorporating visual technology and haptic feedback motors that help guide the user safely around obstacles and through busy areas more effectively than other available technologies. The second-place prize was awarded to the U.S. Naval Academy, and New York University in Boston, Mass., placed third.

Last year, the GMU-SAME Student Chapter took home first place. Their project on a Solar Powered Water Solution, which was built and tested in a remote community in Costa Rica, illustrated sound engineering principles with a focus on sustainability. “This innovative solar water installation could have readily been applied to work I do in the U.S. Public Health Service/Indian Health Service,” Allen said. The U.S. Naval Academy team placed second, and the team from the Citadel placed third in the competition.

The competition provides a platform to amplify voices from students focused on STEM studies on college campuses across the country. Together with the broader community of engineering professionals across government and industry that make up SAME, students have greater opportunities to connect to mentors, fellow students, and potential employers.

“The future of the engineering workforce is critical,” said Allen. “Investing in the future and providing engaging opportunities to become involved are tools that SAME can use to foster interest in the A/E/C and national security industries as well as involvement within SAME by future professionals.”

By providing students with exposure to the multidisciplined engineering community and turning ideas into practice, SAME is helping to ensure that the next generation of engineers are not just entering the workforce, but are ready to lead it.

Read More About Student Programs

College Outreach Community

Learn more about the College Outreach COI and how the community serves as a bridge between academia, Posts, government, and the private sector through professional guidance, internships, and competitions like this one.

SAME Student Resource Center

Student Members represent the next generation of innovative STEM thinkers ready to take on the engineering challenges facing our nation. Discover how SAME’s Student Members are active in Student Chapters located in colleges, universities, and service academies across the country.

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