A Bigger and Better Contest Than Ever

As pioneers in topology optimization for over 30 years, we’ve created the Altair Global Student Contest to showcase student talent from around the world.

Engineering students from all over are invited to showcase their ideas by applying topology optimization using Altair® Inspire™ to create innovative, sustainable, lightweight designs.

The contest is designed to expand awareness of lightweighting through topology optimization, expose students to the technology’s capabilities, help students build skills that will set them above their peers, and, most importantly, have fun while engineering!

Get Inspired and Design Light

Picture an airplane whose internal structure looks like it came from an alien lab, a car whose frame looks like the skeleton of some ancient beast, or a building that looks like it grew from the ground instead of being built upon it.

Now, think of these structures as lighter, stronger, and more energy-efficient than anything before.

It may sound like science fiction, but it’s possible through an extraordinary engineering approach called topology optimization, which helps create designs that feature minimal mass while ensuring maximal strength.

Submit and Win Big Every Month

Starting in May 2023, we'll award prizes for the most exceptional student submissions of the month within each global region.

Global Grand Prize (at the end of the contest):

$7,500 for the very best submission

Monthly Prizes:

$750 for the best entry of each region

$200 for the most creative promotion video of each region

$100 for a random wild card winner

Learn More

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What You Need to Know

Get the Tools Learn the Tools Rules FAQ The Legal Stuff

Download Free Software and Start Designing Light

Get the Free Inspire Personal Edition (instant download and use for 90 Days, renewable)

Get the Free Altair Student Edition ( quick request and approval, valid for one year, renewable)

Learn How to Use Altair's Optimization Tools

Inspire Instructional Video Series

Tutorials to help you get started with Inspire

Rules and Criteria

Before you submit your project, please read the contest rules and submission criteria.

Frequently Asked Questions

For answers to common questions, submissions, and more, explore the FAQ page.

Terms and Conditions

Download and read the terms and conditions of the Altair Global Student Contest here.

Previous Contest Highlights

Engineering Students for the Win

Previous Altair Global Student Contests yielded tons of awesome submissions that'll help inspire you.

See Previous Entries

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A Great Real-World Industry Example

The outstanding product developers at 3D Systems are always pushing the boundaries with expert additive manufacturing solutions. The video shown here is a great example of what we want to see within the contest.

In their mission to create a lighter, more durable skateboard via topology optimization and additive manufacturing they used Inspire™ to optimize a traditional skateboard deck and trucks.

A quick process recap:

First, they imported CAD for their deck and trucks into Inspire.
Then they ran multiple topology optimizations with different load cases and percentages of material retention to find the basic form of their new designs.
Next, they explored around 30 different concepts, assessed each design's pros and cons, and selected the design that best achieved their objectives.
Last, they exported the deck's and truck's geometry back into CAD, 3D-printed their optimized skateboard, and physically tested it to prove its functionality.

Check out their video to see the process and amazing results.

Industry Experts Compete in Lightweighting, Too!

For over a decade, we've been awarding industry leaders with the Altair Enlighten Award for exceptional achievements in sustainability and lightweighting that successfully reduce carbon footprint and mitigate water and energy consumption.

By participating in the Altair Global Student Contest, you'll acquire valuable experience and skills that will prepare you to become part of the next generation of difference-makers in whatever industry you go into.

Showcase your optimization skills to industry leaders by submitting your lightweighting project.

Who knows - maybe your future employer will see it!

Elevate your design skills, win prizes, and become an optimization rockstar