MAKE SOME SPARKS!
About the Event
Թ and the American Welding Society (AWS) Թ Section invite students and parents to a welding career evening to:
- Meet & network with welding professionals.
- See & experience welding hands-on practices.
- Learn about available scholarships.
- PLUS, one attendee will win a $500 raffle Թ Scholarship* opportunity.
Welding Competition Scholarship:
Join us for a special event-only welding competition.
One winner will be awarded a $1,000 Թ Scholarship*.
* Scholarships courtesy of AWS Թ Section. Must be present to win. See official rules below.
Join Us and Learn More
Sign up and make some SPARKS.
PARKING: Enter our West Campus Drive entrance and park in Lot #1. Need a map?
2026 AWS Թ Section Weld Competition Guidelines
This welding competition is open to any attendee of the Sparks Welding Career Night Event. All welding competition participants will have an opportunity to win a $1,000 Թ Welding Program scholarship through a skills demonstration. No prior welding experience is necessary.
Welding Competition Guidelines
- Attendees will create a 3/8” fillet weld on 3/8” HRS steel plate.
- All fillet welds will be created using the GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) process.
- .035 ER70S-6 Electrode Wire.
- 75/25 Shielding Gas.
- All 5 competition welding booths will be set up and verified by the Թ Welding Program staff.
- All weld competition participants will receive a Welder ID number from an AWS Թ Section Member.
- All weld competition participants will receive 2 3/8" HRS steel plates.
- Participants will tack weld together a Tee joint.
- One side can be used to make a practice fillet weld; this will allow the participant to make any small adjustments to the welding machine. Once practice is complete, the participant can create the competition 3/8” fillet weld.
- Once the 3/8” fillet weld is complete, the participant will write their Welder ID number on the competition fillet weld.
- Participants then will bring to the evaluation station.
- All fillet welds will be evaluated by Section Members CWI.
- Visual inspection will be in accordance with the AWS D1.1 structural steel code.
- Fillet weld size shall be 3/8” – 0 + 1/16.
- Fillet weld shall have no cracks.
- All craters shall be filled to the full cross section of the weld.
- Undercut shall not exceed .03” in depth and 1” in length.
- No porosity shall be present.
- All finished fillet welds must have smooth transition from plate to surface of the weld and back to plate.
- Any grinding, sanding, or any dressing of the weld faces will not be permitted.
- All Section Members CWI will be recording the evaluation on a score sheet.
- The participant with the highest score will be announced the winner.
Odds of winning based on number in attendance and participating. Estimated at 1 in 25.
