2026 ASHRAE HVAC&R Student Paper Competition
Submissions for the 2026 ASHRAE HVAC&R Student Paper Competition are now open!
Entries are due November 17, 2025. Finalists will give virtual presentations during the week of January 12th 2026.
Here’s an opportunity to have your research recognized and compete against fellow ASHRAE Student Members.
Papers are being accepted on the following topics:
- HVAC&R technology
- Building services
- Indoor environmental control
- Energy performance of buildings
This competition is open to students working on their Bachelor and Master's degree. The work on which the submission is based should have been formally assessed and approved by your University between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
The winner will represent ASHRAE at the 2026 World Student Competition to be held at a date and location to be announced. Travel expenses, hotel and conference registration will be paid by ASHRAE to attend the World competition.
DEADLINES
November 17, 2025 – entrants submit a six-page maximum length paper that is based on an accepted BS or MS thesis
December 1, 2025 – the finalists will be selected, advised, and invited to the next stage
December 29, 2025 – Posters are due. The content of the A1-size poster may be used as the basis of a visual presentation to accompany the oral presentation.
Week of January 12th, 2026 – the finalists give a 10-minute virtual presentation.
January 31, 2026 – Winning papers are announced and presented during the Student Program.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY
>> If you have questions contact Chris Preyor at cpreyor@ashrae.org.
- 2025 Student Paper Competition Results
The 2025 ASHRAE HVAC&R Student Paper Competition concluded on January 30th with presentations from four finalists. The competition is aimed at students working on their Bachelor or Master’s degree who are members of ASHRAE. The paper submitted must be based on an accepted BS or MS thesis.
In addition to the paper, the students prepared a poster and a 10-minute presentation, which was followed by questions from the jury.
The jury selected Mokshika Arora as the winner of the 2025 competition. Mokshika is an architectural engineer with a strong inclination towards sustainable built environment and a graduate student at CEPT University, in Ahmedabad, India. The title of her paper is “Addressing Visual Comfort, Daylight Access and Solar Shading with Fixed External Shading Devices: A Simplified Approach.”
As the winner, Mokshika went on to represent ASHRAE at the 2025 HVAC World Student Competition held in conjunction with the 15th REHVA World Congress CLIMA 2025, June 4-6, in Milan, Italy, where she was awarded “BEST POSTER”.
The other finalists were:
- Estefany Patricia Vizuete, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador, “Towards Resilient and Sustainable Cities Evaluating Thermal Comfort in a Dwelling in Quito, Ecuador”
- Amanda Oliveira de Moura, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil, “Proposed High-Energy Performance HVAC Solutions for the LabZero Building at the University of Brasília”
- Hessah Althalab, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait, “Performance Enhancement of Air Conditioning Compressors in Hot Climates Using Carbon-Based Nano-Lubricants”
The jurors were Joe Firrantello, Bill Bahnfleth, Tim Dwyer and Joe Firrantello.
Click here to view Mokshika's Poster
