15th Alumni Cup Competition

Mark your calendars for the 15th annual Alumni Cup competition on Friday, February 27, 2026. 

Watch student teams from each department of the A. James Clark School of Engineering compete in a Rube-Goldberg inspired challenge.

The Alumni Cup, presented by the Engineering Alumni Network, inspires student teams from each engineering discipline to think creatively and work together to design machines that can accomplish a simple task. The competition culminates at the end of National Engineers Week, when teams will be judged on their machine’s effectiveness, presentation, and team spirit.

Watch to cheer on your favorite team and see who will claim the cup!

The Challenge

Launched in 2012, the Alumni Cup is an annual engineering design competition. Teams of students from each department compete against one another to develop a machine that will perform a specific task within certain parameters.

Points are awarded based on how well the teams meet five key objectives: 

• The machine exercises the fundamental task.
• The machine exhibits a creative design that showcases the respective discipline/engineering department.
• The machine operates in a predictable manner.
• The machine complies with all rules.
• The team exhibits strong department pride.

Task and parameters are given to each team at a kickoff meeting prior to Engineers Week. Students have limited time and a small stipend with which to design, sketch, and build a machine that reflects their department. Teams will demonstrate their designs at the end of Engineers Week in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building Rotunda. The judges’ panel will be comprised of Clark School administration and alumni. The winning team will be memorialized on the Alumni Cup trophy displayed in the west lobby of the Glenn L. Martin Hall.

2025 Victors

Congratulations to the 2025 Aerospace Engineering team on their winning machine!

Click here to view photos from last year's compeition or read the Maryland Today news story.

Team members:
Logan Bails
Saanchi Desai
Jeremiah Fan
Sam Heintz (Team Lead)
Elizabeth Ivanova
Opeyemi Salako

2025 Sponsors

 

2026 Sponsorship Packages

Choose from one of five levels of corporate sponsorship opportunities—including advertising space during the competition—available for the 2025 event. All sponsorship package payments are considered a 100 percent tax-deductible donation and payment can be made online.

Learn More and Volunteer

To learn more about Alumni Cup and/or to volunteer, please e-mail engralumni@umd.edu. Volunteers can assist with planning and execution of the competition or the post-competition student-alumni networking event, fundraising, communications, day-of support, and more.