DMC Submission Requirements and Judging Criteria Submit Your DMC Project View Past Winners

Submission Deadline: February 6, 2026

Winners notified: Week of February 23, 2026

Problem Statement/Mission

Economic sustainability refers to practices and strategies that support long-term economic growth without negatively impacting social, environmental, and cultural aspects of a community or society. Economic sustainability is one of the three pillars of sustainability, alongside environmental sustainability and social sustainability.

We live in a diverse and interconnected world, where innovations in design and manufacturing can address many aspects of economic sustainability at the local and global level. There are innovative ways to address efficient resource utilization, cost reduction in production, material waste reduction, elimination of tooling, reduction in assembly steps, inventory reduction, product repair, upcycling, and refurbishment, just to name a few examples.

The 2026 Digital Manufacturing Challenge aims to inspire the next generation of engineers to tackle economic sustainability issues.

Some examples are included below, hinting at solutions which deploy additive manufacturing in conjunction with conventional manufacturing:

• Envision assembly consolidation strategies to embody design betterments that reduce assembly steps, simplify supply chains, and reduce overall effort to manufacture a system.
• Redesigning a bicycle frame to reduce the number of parts and facilitate ease of storage or maintenance.
• Reduce part weight and material consumption, particularly with the focus on significantly modifying designs while maintaining performance.
• For specific applications, there are opportunities to change the design features to make objects and geometries more easily printable and enhance the build productivity via nesting.
• Reduce part cost and improve material sustainability by looking at opportunities to assess end-of-life, recycle materials, or repair components.
• Embed features or colors into plastic components to showcase different patterns of color, depending on how the material(s) wears with use to signal replacement.
• Assess how 3D scanning and additive manufacturing can be used to fix and repair everyday items.
• Reduce costs and environmental footprint by using bio-materials to print packaging structures that conform to the shape of the object being delivered. 

The 2026 DDM Economic Sustainability Challenge is the last in the Sustainability series. We hope that students will be inspired by and involved in this multi-year vision.

Constraints

• Apply only existing additive or conventional technologies – not those yet to be developed.
• Backfill conventional with additive components only if necessary, appropriate, and possible.
• In response to this challenge, you may address individual parts or the entire system.
• Consider legal frameworks. Avoid liability/warranty issues but consider the merits and impact of private property rights under extreme circumstances.

Deliverable

Complete and competitive submissions are expected in the form of a case study. After completing the challenge with the advice and guidance of our judges, contestants may wish to consider preparing a funding proposal or a journal paper.

How to Enter

Steps to Submit Digital Manufacturing Challenge Project

1. Click on “DMC Submission Requirements and Judging Criteria” and then on “Submit Your DMC Project.”
2. Add a team leader, team members, and an academic advisor. Include each person’s first and last name, email address, cell phone number, and educational institution.
3. All project files should be included in a zip folder or equivalent to be uploaded onto the platform. Files should include:
• STL files of your design.
• Title of your entry on every file.
• A document according to the “Submission and Judging Criteria” page.
• Your name(s), contact information, and résumé(s) for circulation among potential employers.
• Teams have the option to include a video supporting their project. It is not required but highly encouraged. Please add the link to your video. YouTube or another file-sharing platform is acceptable.

What's in it for you?

• Complimentary conference pass to RAPID + TCT.
• The winning team will receive a $1000 prize, and the runner-up will receive a $500 prize.
• A certificate of achievement.
• A recognition letter will be sent to the winner, and a copy will be sent to the advisor/educator.
• Visibility through SME media channels
• Video interview conducted onsite, with posting on the SME website
• Complimentary opportunity to take the AM Certification examination (Fundamentals or Technician version) - Value $75.
• Winners and runners-up receive a one-year all-access license to Tooling U-SME online resources.

Questions About the Digital Manufacturing Challenge?