As part of the Experimental Methods in Statics and Mechanics course, the Department of Structural Mechanics at FCE STU organized the STU Student Bridge 2026 competition under the supervision of Professor Milan Sokol. The goal was to build a bridge from wooden skewers capable of carrying the maximum possible load. The competition final, during which the individual models were tested, was held on May 5, 2026, at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at STU.
The competition began at the end of March, and 11 teams registered for the challenge. The students had exactly one month to design and build a bridge model using a specified amount of material. To construct the bridge, they received 130 wooden skewers, 100 meters of white thread, and 35 mL of wood glue. Because no other components were allowed, success depended on careful planning and structural design that accounted for material losses.
During the May 5 competition evaluation, each bridge was tested under a static load applied at the center and by a passing test vehicle with gradually increasing weight. The expert committee evaluated the total load carried, the bridge’s own weight, and the relative deflection under a unit load.
- 1st place: Nikola Šimunková, Šimon Peter Šipoš
- 2nd place: Hana Bereníková, Alexander Kmeť, Tereza Pekarová, Sofia Tarajčáková
- 3rd place: Maksym Halata, Yaroslav Konoplytskyi, Maksym Korol, Kostiantyn Novyk, Miroslav Onger
Based on the results achieved, the committee, composed of our faculty representatives — Prof. Ing. Katarína Gajdošová, PhD., Prof. Ing. Milan Sokol, PhD., and Ing. Katarína Lamperová, PhD. — and a representative of the partner company INGSTEEL, Ing. Marian Dallemule, PhD., announced the best bridges and the winning construction teams:
The event was also supported by the participation of the director of INGSTEEL, Ing. Ivan Bezák, PhD., and a visiting student from France, Ms. Marie Lamoureux.
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all participants for demonstrating creativity and engineering thinking!
Photos: Ing. Katarína Lamperová, PhD., Department of Structural Mechanics, FCE STU
