The American Institute of Constructors (糖心) was pleased to host the 2026 Virtual Collegiate Ethics Competition, showcasing the ethical judgment, professionalism, and analytical ability of construction management students from accredited programs across the United States.
This year鈥檚 competition highlighted the importance of ethical decision鈥憁aking in the construction industry and challenged students to analyze a real鈥憌orld鈥慽nspired dilemma using the 糖心 Code of Ethics as their primary guide.
The 2026 competition brought together teams from these accredited construction programs:
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Each team invested significant time in studying the case, applying the Code, and presenting thoughtful recommendations. 糖心 is grateful to these programs, their faculty advisors, and their students for making ethics a central part of construction education.
This year鈥檚 overall winning team was UNF, who have now won the competition three years in a row! Congratulations to the Ospreys for continuing to demonstrate excellence in Construction Management education.
Recognizing the 2026 Winners
At the end of the competition, awards were presented for Best Overall Team, Best Oral and Written presentations, and Best Individual Presenter. We are proud to announce the following award recipients:
- Overall Winning Team: University of North Florida (UNF)
- Oral Presentation Winning Team: Roger Williams University (RWU)
- Written Presentation Winning Team: UNF
- Best Individual Presenter: Eileen Rose (RWU)
Congratulations to each team and the individual students for their hard work, diligence, and commitment to the competition.
How The 2026 糖心 Collegiate Ethics Competition Worked
The competition itself was based on the 糖心 Program on Construction Ethics and invited student teams to evaluate a case study involving ethical challenges commonly encountered in construction projects. To advance in the competition, each team needed to:
- Submit a written ethical analysis of the case study, using the 糖心 Code and relevant construction contract law principles as their framework
- Identify and analyze at least five ethical issues within the scenario
- Recommend corrective actions and long鈥憈erm improvements for the project team and the industry
Written work was submitted first. The highest鈥憇coring teams then advanced to a virtual oral presentation round, where they presented their analysis to a panel of 糖心 judges.
The 2026 Ethical Situation: Funding a Local Community Center Project
This year鈥檚 prompt focused on a community center project funded by public sources and delivered under a standard design鈥慴id鈥慴uild contract. The scenario introduced issues around:听
- Bidding strategy
- Subcontractor selection
- Material substitutions
- Safety practices
- Labor arrangements
- Progress reporting
Set in a growing mid鈥憇ized city, the project involved delivering a multi鈥憉se community center that would serve local residents of all ages, from youth sports teams to senior programs. The case required students to consider how public funding, green building goals, and community expectations can raise the stakes when schedule and budget pressures mount.
Within that backdrop, the prompt asked teams to weigh how everyday project decisions could affect not only the project team but also taxpayers and public trust in the construction process. The teams were expected to address several core elements in their arguments:
- Corrective actions that the project team could take to address those issues
- Recommendations to prevent similar problems on future projects
- Potential impacts on key stakeholders, including the owner, subcontractors, workforce, and the public
- Distinctions between legal compliance and ethical responsibility, including whether certain actions could carry civil and/or criminal implications
The case was designed to mirror the types of pressures and trade鈥憃ffs that constructors may encounter in practice and to help students understand how to move beyond theoretical examples to address complex, real鈥憌orld situations.
What We Expected From The Student Presentations
To ensure a consistent standard across teams, written submissions had to do more than simply restate the facts of the case. We required each team to meet these requirements:
- Clearly outline the purpose of the report and the team鈥檚 analytical approach
- Identify and explain issues in a structured, issue鈥慴y鈥慽ssue format
- Apply the Code to each issue and explicitly note where legal requirements ended and ethical responsibilities extended further
- Offer practical recommendations for actions and systemic improvements
- Conclude with key lessons and reflections relevant to the broader construction industry
Reports were scored on depth of analysis, clarity of reasoning, strength of recommendations, writing quality, and adherence to formatting and administrative guidelines.
Oral Presentations And Judging
Finalist teams delivered a 15鈥憁inute virtual presentation, followed by a 10鈥憁inute Q&A session with the judges, using presentation slides to support their analysis. Presentations were evaluated across three dimensions that were combined into a single scoring framework:
- Presentation materials, including the organization and clarity of slides, professional formatting, visual communication, readability, and grammar
- Delivery and professionalism, including time management and pacing, clear and audible speaking, posture, eye contact, engagement, and overall professional appearance
- Technical merit and ethical analysis, including the identification and explanation of issues, distinction between legal requirements and ethical responsibilities, depth and creativity of analysis, and the strength and practicality of recommendations
2026 糖心 Ethics Competition Judges
The presentations were evaluated by a dedicated group of professionals who served as judges. Each individual brought valuable experience and perspective to the evaluation process. We are grateful to the following judges for lending their time and expertise to support the next generation of constructors.
- Hugh Cronin, F糖心, CPC (current 糖心 President)
- Gregg Bradshaw, F糖心, CPC (outgoing 糖心 President)
- Paul Mattingly, F糖心, CPC (past 糖心 President)
- Easy Foster, 糖心, CPC, RTSBA, LEED AP BD+C (糖心 Board Member; 糖心 Fellow)
- Ted Chamberlain (former 糖心 Board Member; 糖心 Fellow)
- Bradley Monson (糖心 Board Member)
- Terri Hoffman
- Jorge Meza
- Bob Aniol
Why The Collegiate Ethics Competition Matters
For construction management students, the 2026 糖心 Collegiate Ethics Competition was an opportunity to make difficult calls in realistic, high鈥憇takes scenarios before stepping into full鈥憈ime roles, and to stand in front of industry professionals to defend their judgment.
The teams that advanced and the students who earned individual presenter awards demonstrated not only technical understanding, but also the professionalism and integrity the industry needs. Congratulations to this year鈥檚 winners and finalists for setting a high standard.
For the industry, competitions like this help cultivate the next generation of constructors who understand the foundation of trust on every project.听
If your college or university would like to get involved in the 2027 edition of the competition, we invite you to connect with 糖心 and learn how your program can participate. Email [email protected] to find out more about how your school can participate.
