More than 100 engineering students from universities across the United States came together for a day of creativity, collaboration, and friendly competition at this year’s SNAME Student Design Competition—an annual event proudly sponsored by NETSCo, a leading Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm.
The challenge was deceptively simple: design and construct a functional sailboat—single hull, catamaran, or trimaran—using only a limited set of everyday materials. Cardboard, empty soda cans, duct tape, pipe cleaners, rubber bands, balloons, popsicle sticks, and aluminum foil became the building blocks for innovative marine engineering solutions. Within these constraints, student teams were tasked with meeting defined design specifications while balancing aesthetics, speed, and structural ingenuity.
Beyond the build itself, the competition provided a valuable opportunity for SNAME students to network and collaborate with peers from different universities, mirroring the multidisciplinary teamwork essential in real-world maritime engineering. The day culminated in front of an enthusiastic crowd of conference delegates, as teams presented their designs to expert judges and then put their vessels to the test in a timed sailboat race. Engaging the next generation of naval architects and marine engineers through hands-on, fun, and challenging projects like this is vital to the future of our industry. The energy, originality, and problem-solving on display reinforced just how bright that future is!
2025 SNAME Student Design Winners
First Place – Team Ten, The Assets
Sophia Som (Stevens Institute of Technology)
Nicholas Haws, Julian Nault, Damian Scelba (SUNY Maritime)
Andrej Klema, Hank Wolfe (Webb Institute)
Christopher Coniko, Ethan Chee (Texas A&M University)
Jessica Vehorn (The Apprentice School)
Marcio Salnisky (Universidad Tecnológica Nacional)
🥈 Tied for Second Place
Team Five (Table 5)
Liam Hearn, Weston Diamond, Jace Phelan (University of New Orleans)
Niall Powers Ozyurt, Luke Saletta, Andrew Vallent, Gabriel Pust (Stevens Institute of Technology)
Aden Schmidt (University of Michigan)
Team Three (Jailbreak)
John McCalmont (University of Michigan)
Aidan Cavanaugh, Allison Toohey, Rebecca Carson (Webb Institute)
Andrew Deng, Thomas Perea (Texas A&M University)
Isabella Munar Beitia (Stevens Institute of Technology)
Tomas Agustin (Universidad Tecnológica Nacional)
We love seeing the incredible designs, teamwork, and fresh thinking these students bring to life—and we’re proud to support the engineers who will shape the future of maritime innovation.