The top winners of the 2026 CFSEI Student Competition on Cold-Formed Steel Design were recently announced by the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI). The winning students hail from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Lindenhurst UFSD and George Mason University.
The competition promotes higher education in cold-formed steel (CFS) structural design and encourages students to use creative thinking skills to solve engineering problems.
This year’s competition attracted entries from universities across the United States, Canada and India. To ensure their success, participants were paired with industry mentors who have expertise in CFS design and construction. A panel of industry professionals judged and ranked all entries based on the design’s quality, constructability and presentation.
CFSEI Student Competition Winners
First Place
Michael Keegan
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Michael Keegan
Second Place
Luke Albert
Lindenhurst UFSD
Luke Albert
Third Place
Maihan Ali
George Mason University
Maihan Ali
‘Only Competition of its Kind’
“This is the only competition of its kind in the cold-formed steel industry,” said Jeffrey Klaiman, P.E., CFSEI managing director. “It promotes CFS in higher education and requires participants to apply creative engineering solutions to develop a cold-formed steel design, addressing a specific challenge they may encounter in the workplace.”
Tammy Gleed, P.E., general manager at ClarkDietrich Engineering Services, LLC, and a CFSEI competition organizer, said: “This year’s participants were tasked to design a cost-effective, dignified tiny home that can be mass-produced and rapidly deployed to provide transitional housing, offering safety, comfort, and stability for families displaced by wildfires.”
The top winners receive monetary awards and award plaques and will have an opportunity to attend the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California.
2026 CFSEI Expo
May 18-20, 2026
Westin Long Beach Hotel, CaliforniaThe 2026 CFSEI Expo, presented by the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) is designed for architects, builders/contractors and engineers. The 2026 Expo Schedule is geared toward both skilled cold-formed steel (CFS) framing professionals and newcomers and provides opportunities for networking.
Event Details:
- Exposition featuring state-of-the-art CFS framing technologies
- The Emerging Technologies Forum
- Announcement of the winners of the 2026 CFSEI Design and Distinguished Service Awards
Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute
The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) comprises hundreds of structural engineers and other design professionals. Together, they are finding a better way to produce safe and efficient cold-formed steel (CFS) designs for commercial and residential structures. CFSEI members develop industry standards and design methods. CFSEI issues technical bulletins, organizes seminars and provides online training so that engineers and design professionals can improve their knowledge and skills. CFSEI is part of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) family. For more information, visit www.cfsei.org.
Additional Resources
- CFSEI Announces Winners of the 2025 Design Excellence and Creative Detail Awards
- CFSEI Releases Tech Note J200-26: Vibration of Cold-Formed Steel Joist Framed Floors
- CFSEI Releases Updated Tech Note G500-25: Field Guide – Inspection Checklist for Structural CFS Framing