Trade Wars

The Air Conditioning Technology program is hosting the DARE TO FLARE competition for 16 individual students in IIC 107 HVAC lab. Students will be required to follow provided written instructions and cut copper tubing to prescribed lengths, de-burr their cuts, place flare nuts on tubing, using a flaring block/tool construct 2 flares, connect the flares to a flare union and tighten with wrenches.  The finished project will be judged on quality of work and how well it matches the provided diagram.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus in the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

 OCTC’s Automotive Technology program is hosting the Engine Diagnostic Challenge for 8 (ONLY 4 SPOTS LEFT) students in the Auto Lab, room 127, on OCTC’s Southeast Campus. Participants will be tasked with the challenge of correctly diagnosing an engine performance issue. The fastest individual to complete this task will be the winner. Participants will be required to bring and wear safety glasses and closed-toe work-appropriate shoes. There is to be no loose clothing or hood strings, no jewelry, and long hair must be tied back and secured.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Southeastern Campus, 1901 Southeastern Parkway. Drop off should be at the lower entrance. 

The Computerized Manufacturing and Machining program is hosting the 2026 Trade Wars CMM Nationals. This individual competition has space for 25 competitors and will be held in ATC 210.

This competition does require students to complete a project prior to the event. It was created for schools that have machining equipment on-site.  Interested students should have some prior experience and have access to equipment to create the car prior to the event.

Once students sign up, they will receive specifications sheet and materials to machine an aluminum car and wheels from our CMM team.  (This should be completed prior to the competition on March 20.) There will be two elements that the cars will be judged on the style and quality of the car, voted on by judges; and a timed race on an aluminum track in the CMM lab.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus in the ATC, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the IIC building in P4. 

OCTC’s Diesel Technology program is hosting the Heavy Duty Wheel and Tire Challenge for 10 (ONLY 4 SPOTS LEFT) students in the Diesel Lab, room 123, on OCTC’s Southeast Campus. Participants will be required to remove and install a wheel and tire assembly on a diesel truck. The fastest individual to complete this task will be the winner. Participants will be required to bring and wear safety glasses and closed-toe work-appropriate shoes. There is to be no loose clothing or hood strings, no jewelry, and long hair must be tied back and secured.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Southeastern Campus, 1901 Southeastern Parkway. Drop off should be at the lower entrance. 

OCTC’s Electrical Technology program is hosting the 2026 Trade Wars Electrical Competitions. These competitions will be held in the Electrical Technology Lab ATC 228. 

The Electrical program will be host three competitions. Each competition will have an individual winner that receives a medal, and second and third place certificates. Students may participate in a max of two electrical competitions.

In the Breaker Termination Competition students will terminate 15A single‑pole and 30A double‑pole breakers within a Square D load center. This event focuses on proper installation methods, safety practices, and NEC‑aligned workmanship. (Limit 12 participants)

In the GFCI Receptacle Competition, competitors will correctly wire GFCI receptacles, including proper identification and connection of Line and Load terminals. Judges will evaluate accuracy, safety compliance, and clean workmanship. (Limit 12 participants)

For the Residential Lighting and Wiring Competition students will construct and wire a functional circuit including a single‑pole light switch, keyless lamp holder, and a standard receptacle. This task tests foundational residential wiring knowledge and basic troubleshooting skills. (Limit 12 participants)

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus in the ATC room 228, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the IIC building in P4. 

OCTC’s Industrial Maintenance Technology is hosting the Fluid Power Showdown: The DCV Challenge for 32 students in IIC room 108, the fluid power lab. Participants will be tasked with the Fluid Power challenge of correctly connecting a DCV to a cylinder to make it extend and retract. The fastest individual to complete this task will be the winner. There will be two categories, one for High School students who have taken Fluid Power classes and one for those who haven’t. Students who have taken a Fluid Power course before will have a harder circuit to complete than those who have not. The fastest time from each group will win resulting in two winners. 

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus in the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The Welding and Tech X programs have teamed up to offer the 2026 World of Welding GMAW Champion.

This is a dual event where students may choose to compete in a Mig fillet welding competition or in a stick welding pipe to flange competition. 

Students should come prepared to compete with long pants/jeans/work pants and if they have it, are encouraged to bring their own helmet, jacket, gloves and safety glasses. We will have a limited number of extra PPE available to use. 

Interested students should have some welding experience prior to the event.

There is a limit of 30 slots available for each competition and students may sign up for one event. There will be two winners selected one for GMAW and one for SMAW. If there are spots available after the deadline has passed registered students will be offered those spots on a first come, first serve basis. 

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus in the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The Welding and Tech X programs have teamed up to offer the 2026 World of Welding SMAW Champion.

This is a dual event where students may choose to compete in a Mig fillet welding competition or in a stick welding pipe to flange competition. 

Students should come prepared to compete with long pants/jeans/work pants and if they have it, are encouraged to bring their own helmet, jacket, gloves and safety glasses. We will have a limited number of extra PPE available to use. 

Interested students should have some welding experience prior to the event. 

There is a limit of 30 slots available for each competition and students may sign up for one event. There will be two winners selected one for GMAW and one for SMAW. If there are spots available after the deadline has passed registered students will be offered those spots on a first come, first serve basis.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus in the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

Five teams of 4 students will compete for time and accuracy of donning PPE to enter an isolation patient room and obtain vital signs on the patient using a manual blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope as well as heart rate and respiratory rate.  Then, removing PPE in the proper order to prevent spread of illness. We will demonstrate both skills in the first session and give each person on the team a chance to practice. The second session will consist of competing teams. Each person in the team will need to don proper gear, enter the room and take vital signs on a patient, remove their PPE and exit the room.  The times for each team will be averaged as well as judging accuracy. The team who completes fastest with least amount of mistakes will be deemed the winner. 

Once a team gets registered we will send a video link with a demo that the team can use as an example.

The competitions will take place in the Academic Building (ACA 101, 105, 109, 114). This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The Radiography program is hosting the 2026 CSI: Over My Dead Body. The competition requires teams of 2 to find and assemble a skeleton and view a radiograph to identify the cause of death. There are slots for 10 teams of 2 students each. One winning team will be selected based on speed, accuracy and solving the crime based on a radiograph. 

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The GAME OF OPERATION is hosted by the Surgical Technology program and is a – Team Challenge, for 3 students per school. 

Think steady hands, fast teamwork! Teams of 3 students will compete on a Giant Operation board, using tongs/forceps only (no fingers!) to remove game pieces without setting off the buzzer. Each round is 2 minutes, and teams try to remove 3 pieces while one student operates, one gives directions, and one keeps time/score (roles rotate so everyone plays).

Scoring is based on clean removals, teamwork, and bonus points for a perfect round—but buzzers and rule breaks can cost you. The team with the highest total score wins (tie-breakers include fewer buzzers and faster time).

Bottom line: accuracy over speed—and a whole lot of fun under pressure.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The Veterinary Technology program is hosting the 2026 Rescue Paw Academy. Students can sign up in teams of 3 and compete to demonstrate and be judged on their skills as a compressions rescuer, an airway rescuer, assessing the dog’s conditions, and working as a team.  There will be slots for 6 groups of 3 students, for a total of 18 students in the competition.  The first-place team of 3 will receive a certificate and stethoscope, the second and third place teams will receive a certificate as a “Rescue Paw Academy Graduate”. 

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The Criminal Justice program is hosting the 2026 Take Your Best Shot Competition in the Technical Building, TCE 107. The competition is based on accuracy and speed with weapons using a life-like simulator. There will be 40 slots available, and one winner would be selected based on scoring. Students do not need prior experience in handling weapons, only simulators will be used. Preference for students interested in law enforcement.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2026 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions. 

Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum  and Grae Greer 

For the criteria:

- Speeches must be written by the student.

- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.

- Poetry can be original or published.

- Performances need to be a minimum of 3 minutes and 5 minutes MAX

Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

The Mathematics department is hosting the 2026 MATH RELAY. The competition will need a group of 3 students to form a team; schools may submit multiple teams. 

Teams of three will sit one behind the other.  Let the person in the front be “#1,” the person in the middle, “#2,” and the person in the back, “#3.”  At the start of a round, all #1s will be given the same math problem, all #2s will be given the same different math problem, and all #3s will be given the same third different math problem.  All #2 and #3 problems will have a variable called TNYWR, which stands for “The Number You Will Receive.”  Once the timer starts, players can start looking at their problems.  #1s can solve their problem without any additional information.  Once they solve their problem, they write the solution (always a single number) down on a small, blank, scrap piece of paper and hand it over their shoulder (behind them” to #2.  The number given takes the place of TNYWR in #2’s problem, allowing them to now fully solve their problem.  Once they are done, they write their solution on a piece of paper and pass it back to #3, who can now fully solve their problem.  The answer to #3’s problem is what is submitted to be scored.  Answers from #3 can only be submitted at the three-minute and six-minute marks, at which point the round is over.  Teams that submit the correct answer at the three-minute mark will receive full points.  Teams that submit the correct answer at the six-minute mark will receive half points.  Any answer submitted at the six-minute mark will override any answer that may have been submitted at the three-minute mark, even if it was correct.  Teams should never submit the same answer twice and should only submit a second answer if they believe their first answer was incorrect.  No one is allowed to talk to one another during the round.  The only information that can be communicated is when #1 and #2 pass their answers back to #2 and #3, respectively.  Only a number can be written on the pass-back paper—nothing else is allowed, except that the number can be underlined.  The team with the highest possible score after all rounds is the winner.  Calculators are NOT allowed, although scratch paper is.  

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2026 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions. Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in 

Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum  and Grae Greer 

For the criteria:

- Speeches must be written by the student.

- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.

- Poetry can be original or published.

- Performances need to be a minimum of 3 minutes and 5 minutes MAX

Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2026 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions. 

Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum  and Grae Greer 

For the criteria:

- Speeches must be written by the student.

- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.

- Poetry can be original or published.

- Performances need to be a minimum of 3 minutes and 5 minutes MAX

Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2026 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions. 

OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2026 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions.

Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum  and Grae Greer 

For the criteria:

- Speeches must be written by the student.

- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.

- Poetry can be original or published.

- Performances need to be a minimum of 3 minutes and 5 minutes MAX

Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4. 

Up to twenty students will have the opportunity to compete in the Trade Wars Speed Painting Challenge: Inspired by Fahrenheit 451

This year, the challenge invites competitors to create a work of art inspired by themes from OCTC's current common reading selection, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Participants should explore ideas central to the novel—such as censorship, individuality, freedom of thought, and the transformative power of knowledge—while expressing their own interpretation and voice.

Guidelines for Artistic Expression:

A Core Theme: The artwork should reflect a concept drawn from Fahrenheit 451 that resonates with the artist—whether it’s the struggle against conformity, the value of books, the courage to ask "why?", or even the contemporary cognitive decline due to AI.
Personal Reflection: Connect the chosen theme to your own experiences or worldview. How does Bradbury’s story of a society that criminalizes books and the pursuit of knowledge relate to your beliefs or struggles in today's world?

Universal Connection: While rooted in personal interpretation, the painting should aim to connect with others through shared human concerns like hope, integrity, or the honest pursuit of knowledge.

Creative Interpretation: Artists are encouraged to think boldly and abstractly—use color, form, and texture to evoke emotion and meaning.

Competition Details:
Participants will receive an 11x14 canvas, acrylic paints (primary colors plus white), and brushes.
Students will have 50 minutes to complete their painting.

Competitors may bring a sketch or concept prepared in advance.

Paint use is limited to the provided supplies.

This competition will be held at OCTC's Main Campus and students should check in at the Industry Innovation Center, 4800 New Hartford Road. Drop off should be at the side entrance to the building in P4.