The University of British Columbia’s Annual Engineering Competition (UBC-EC)

UBC-EC is an annual event allowing students across all engineering disciplines at UBC to put their skills learned in the classroom to the test. Students are presented with real world situations and challenged to create and develop unique solutions that showcase their engineering abilities. With three competition categories taking place March 7th and 8th, there are opportunities for students across all stages of their degrees. Uniting the most dedicated and eager students, this event provides great networking opportunities to meet like minded engineering students.

Sponsorship

Interested in sponsoring the 2026 Engineering Competition? Check out our sponsorship package to learn more about engaging with the passionate students involved in the competition. Feel free to reach out to ubcec@ubcengineers.ca with any questions or comments about getting involved.

Event Description

UBC-EC comprises three exciting events, each designed to challenge and stimulate the innovative minds of the participants:

1. Junior Design: Taking place on March 7th, this event is directed towards first and second year students. The competition allows students to build and develop a physical prototype to get hands-on experience with the design process. Teams of four students will be presented with a problem and must collaborate to develop a solution using the provided materials within a time limit. Students will deliver a brief presentation describing the ideas behind their solution to accompany the final product when presenting to judges.

2. Senior Design: Using VEX robotics kits, students are tasked with building physical solutions to real-life problems. Teams of four will combine their knowledge of coding languages, mechanical building and problem solving to create a machine capable of being used in the real world. Taking place over the two days of the competition, this category is geared towards students ready to tackle larger and more in depth problems using skills learned in upper year classes.

3. Consulting Engineering: The consulting competition presents teams of four with a problem they must solve and present to a client. Considering feasibility, cost, and resources students must work to develop a solution aligned with the client’s goals. The teams will create and deliver a presentation detailing their solution to a panel of judges. Taking place on March 8th, this competition is open to students in all years across all engineering disciplines, creating the widest range of student competitors.

For any questions or concerns, please email vpexternal@ubcengineers.ca or ubcec@ubcengineers.ca