At the 2026 SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition, students from across the United States demonstrated what's possible when creativity, engineering, and advanced manufacturing come together. As a longtime partner of SME and SkillsUSA, Stratasys is proud to support this competition by providing the professional-grade 3D printing technology that helps transform student ideas into real-world solutions.
This year's challenge asked middle school, high school, and post-secondary teams to tackle an aerospace-inspired design problem, requiring them to think like engineers while applying additive manufacturing principles to optimize performance, precision, and functionality. Throughout the multi-day competition, students designed, iterated, and produced their solutions using Stratasys 3D printers—the same technology trusted by leading manufacturers across industries.
Preparing Students for Tomorrow's Workforce
At Stratasys, we believe hands-on experience is one of the most effective ways to prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing. Competitions like SkillsUSA give students the opportunity to move beyond the classroom by solving authentic engineering challenges under real-world constraints.
This year's event also placed a strong emphasis on workforce readiness. Ninety-six high school and post-secondary students completed the Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals Certification Exam during the competition, validating their knowledge of industry-standard additive manufacturing concepts and strengthening their credentials as they prepare to enter the manufacturing workforce.
Since partnering with SME to launch the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition more than a decade ago, Stratasys has remained committed to helping educators inspire the next generation of designers, engineers, and manufacturers. Together, we've created opportunities for hundreds of students to gain valuable experience with additive manufacturing while building confidence in their technical and problem-solving skills.
We congratulate all of the students who participated in this year's competition and applaud the educators, mentors, and industry partners who helped make their success possible. Your passion, ingenuity, and commitment to learning continue to demonstrate the incredible potential of the future manufacturing workforce.
We also extend our congratulations to this year's medal-winning teams across the middle school, high school, and post-secondary divisions. Their innovative solutions showcased not only technical excellence but also the collaboration, creativity, and perseverance that define the future of manufacturing.
The future of manufacturing depends on developing talent today. At Stratasys, we're proud to partner with organizations like SME and SkillsUSA to ensure students have access to industry-leading technology, meaningful learning experiences, and opportunities to build skills that will shape tomorrow's workforce.
We look forward to seeing what next year's competitors create—and to continuing our mission of empowering educators and students through additive manufacturing.
