At the regional competition, teams receive a project task during the winter break, accompanied by a set of raw survey data. The data must be organized and processed by the team to draft a full topographic mapping set that includes a cover sheet, boundary map, existing conditions plan, triangulated irregular network, and color banding map. 

At the national competition, teams received a new project task during the summer, accompanied by an existing conditions plan. The plan, alongside provided zoning requirements and regulations, must be analyzed to design a preliminary subdivision plan that optimizes lot yield and cost efficiency for the project’s developer. 

Teams are required to deliver a 5-minute presentation followed by a Q&A period. The presentation focuses on the aspects of the drafting process and the various applications of the mapping set in civil engineering projects. Teams must defend their mapping decisions to the panel, explaining judgment calls made in the drafting and design process, similar to a real-world planning board review or public hearing. 

Teams are expected to be prepared to perform four field tasks from a selection of seven options, which include: pacing, compass navigation, differential leveling, construction stakeout, inaccessible point identification, sewer cut/depth calculations, and area/volume calculations. The focus is on each team’s efficiency and accuracy of their measurement.