The purpose of the SkillsUSA competition is to promote excellence in technical education and prepare students for successful careers in their respective fields. It brings together talented individuals from various technical disciplines to showcase their skills and compete for recognition. The competition aims to provide a platform for participants to demonstrate their abilities, gain practical experience, and foster a spirit of competition and camaraderie among students pursuing technical careers.
CONFERENCE & CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION
State conference 2026 will be at Pacific Steel & Recycling Arena and other onsite locations in
Great Falls, MT April 7-10, 2026
Unless indicated All Contests are OPEN to Middle, High school and Post secondary-College.
Please see contest offered in MT for details!!
Required rules and components of competition
All individuals attending conference must be registered and members of SkillsUSA. Membership and registration will be completed through the SkillsUSA REGISTER (register.skillsusa.org).
A registration guide for this year’s events will be released in January 2025. You Must be a paid member by February 15, 2026 to be qualified for state contests. Registration for State Competitions is due March 1, 2026. Early bird registration will be available this year if you register before February 15th.
I cannot stress enough FOLLOW your Technical Standards (located in Pathful). They contain Everything you need to know for the state contest. Please review all contests they are all open to HS/PS and MS is appropriately marked. Check contests offered page for extra links and information, may be updated weekly.
Orientation Policy
All contestants or representative must be present and accounted for at their perspective contest orientation. There will be a orientation held individually for most contests. Your contestant must be present for this. This is a requirement to be qualified for the state contest. If they are not present they will forfeit their contest and be disqualified. If a representative is present for the orientation, the contestant must be present by their contest start time or they will be disqualified.
The orientation contains important contest information that cannot be missed and will not be repeated. It will be the representatives' duty to convey the appropriate instructions given during the orientation, otherwise that will not be a excuse for missing vital content, this will result in the contestant being disqualified.
Basic Skills Contest Knowledge Agreement
By signing your competitor up for each contest, you acknowledge as the advisor, you have completed the basic qualifying knowledge required upon the Technical Standards and herby claim, proved and provided expert opportunities to declare your contestant has the abilities to compete in their contest, safely, correctly and accurately handling equipment provided during the competition. You agree that if the Technical Chair or judges deem a competitors manner or knowledge to be hazardous to either themselves or others, a warning will be served and a second warning will result in immediate disqualification from current competition. This will be signed at registration in person. If you would like to read and sign the form in advance, it is located in the resources tab.
Resume Requirement
All competitors must create a one-page resume to upload prior to SLSC. Failure to do so will result in a -10 point penalty. Resume Template -Download resume template for SLSC. See the tests/resumes/templates tab for more information.
Professional Development Test Study Guide
Prepare for the state Professional Development tests with this study guide. Please note middle school competitors are NOT required to take the Professional Development test as part of their competition. This is now part of the final contest scores. Failure to complete will result in a -50 point penalty.
Special Needs
Accessibility for all students - All special needs requests and appropriate documentation outlining in the special needs request must be submitted to the SkillsUSA Montana office at least 30 calendar days prior to the scheduled event.
Waiver of Rules
Any local chapter seeking a waiver of a SkillsUSA policy or procedure must submit the waiver in writing to the SkillsUSA Montana office. The SkillsUSA Director & contest technical chair will then make final decisions on policy and procedure. The request must be submitted to the SkillsUSA Montana office at least 30 calendar days prior to the scheduled event or due date for which the waiver is requested. This policy does not supersede any current SkillsUSA policy for appeals already established for a particular SkillsUSA program.
State competition clothing guidelines follow national clothing guidelines- Unless indicated in Contests offered in MT description.
*Polos or Shirts can be SkillsUSA Montana, in addition to SkillsUSA
2026 SLSC Dress Code
Tuesday, Opening Ceremony: contest attire or school/work-appropriate casual attire. State Officers and State Officer Candidates should be in Official Attire.
Tues- Thursday: Technical Competitions: appropriate contest attire, as referenced in Technical Standards or on Contests offered in MT state specific page.
Tues- Thursday: Leadership Competitions: SkillsUSA Official Attire.
Thursday Night- Champions Night at TBD: school/work-appropriate casual attire/conference t-shirts.
Wednesday- Career Fair: SkillsUSA Official Attire.
Friday- Closing Ceremony: SkillsUSA Official Attire.
Note: All medalists will need to be in SkillsUSA Official Attire to go on stage to receive their medals.
Official contest attire is required for closing ceremonies (SkillsUSA Official blazer, white shirt/blouse, black pants/skirt, closed-toed shoes). In the event students do not have official attire, please seek assistance from other chapters.
If students are wearing inappropriate clothing (not in official attire), they will NOT be allowed to walk on stage at the awards ceremony.
*Remember if your student Wins Gold, the advisor receives the contest banner and pin, your student gets a medal and prizes*
To Access Technical Standards for the current school year: Remember you MUST BE A CURRENT MEMBER, technical standards tab are located in your Pathful account.
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