The concrete canoe competition challenges young engineers' design skills by utilizing the principles of reinforced concrete design to create a structure not typically made from concrete.  It emphasizes the flexible nature of the medium as well as highlights the creative abilities and teamwork that each engineer is capable of.  Canoe teams must not only design the canoe, but must ensure that the canoe is durable enough to withstand a rigorous day of races.  They must work as a team not only in the design phase, but also on the day of competition because the team must man the canoe they created out on the water.

In the canoe event, engineering teams are scored equally on design, final product, technical project presentation, and the racing.  The team members from all of the schools have been working for many months, using design specifications laid out in a 76 pages rule set that is governed by the ASCE.  A complete set of design specifications and drawings, including concrete mixtures, dimensions, structural elements and floatation materials, are used by each of the 12 teams in the Mid‐Pacific region in building their canoes.  Contestants must place first or second at the regional level to move on to the national competition.  The same canoe must be used in both the national and regional competition.