SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit County Engineer Alan Brubaker announced the winners of the 2026 Miniature Bridge Building Competition (MBBC), held March 4 at the Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge. This year’s event marked the 25th anniversary of the competition, a milestone celebrating a quarter century of inspiring local high school students to explore engineering through hands-on design and construction.
The 2026 competition saw record participation with 37 teams from 18 schools — a significant increase from last year’s 28 teams. Students from Summit County schools also included programs from the Four Cities Educational Compact, Akron STEM High School, Bio-Med Science Academy, Akron Early College High School and Six District Compact. Each team, made up of two to three students, spent months designing and constructing miniature bridges that were tested for strength, efficiency and structural performance during the competition.
“The Miniature Bridge Building Competition has become one of our most impactful educational outreach programs over the past 25 years,” Brubaker said. “Seeing record participation this year shows how excited students are to explore engineering and problem-solving in a real-world way. The dedication and skills these teams bring to the competition is truly impressive.”…