March 6, 2018

For the first time, Canadian electricians will be eligible to compete in the 2018 Ideal National Championship, vying for the coveted title of National Champion that comes with a prize payout of US$75,000.

Ideal Industries Inc. launched this competition, which is entering its third year in the United States, as a way to honour and showcase the abilities of electrical professionals, apprentices and students. Qualifying round events will be held across Canada and the U.S., culminating in the Championship Weekend, where Ideal will award US$260,000 in cash prizes to the winners.

“The Ideal National Championship is a highly-charged, no-holds-barred competition to discover the best electricians, apprentices and students out there," says Doug Sanford, Group President of Ideal Electrical. "Over the past two years, nearly 60,000 men and women across America have competed. Now we’re excited to offer Canadian tradesmen a chance to showcase their skills as well.”

A roadmap to “The Championship Weekend”

The competition begins with a series of qualifying events, held between March 7 and October 5, 2018 in partnership with electrical distributors, trade schools and other organizations across the Canada and the U.S. Qualifying Round winners, with the fastest times in each territory, then have the opportunity to compete at The Championship Weekend in December 2018, held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

How it works: the qualifying round

To compete in the qualifying round, electricians, apprentices and students simply need to register at www.idealnationals.com, and then find a local event. There, they can compete as individuals or as part of a team (three individual electricians from the same company, school or training centre). Events are listed on the Nationals website, which also shows the leaderboard, so participants can see how they stack up against the competition in their area.

In the qualifying round, competitors will complete a wiring challenge, using Ideal tools, while racing against the clock. Their skills are put to the test across five categories: wire pulling, cutting, stripping, termination and testing; as well as a datacomm component for those competing in the professional (individual) category. The winner of each event will be the electrician, apprentice or student who accurately completes the challenge in the fastest time.

When the qualifying round wraps up in October, the professional electrician and apprentice/student (participating as individuals) with the fastest times from each of the two designated Canadian territories (East and West) will be selected to go to The Championship Weekend. Additionally, two teams from Canada — one professional and one student/apprentice team (with the fastest qualifying round times as a team) — will also be chosen to move forward.

What’s on the line at The Championship Weekend

The Championship Weekend is a fast-paced, exciting event that takes place December 2-3, 2018 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The competition consists of four progressively more difficult rounds that put challengers’ physical and mental problem-solving skills to the test. At stake is the title of National Champion, as well as a chance to win a share of the US$260,000 in prize money.

The winners from each territory will receive flights and full accommodation at the resort while they participate in the competition, getting the chance to showcase their talents, while being cheered on by family, friends and peers. While it is an honour just to make it to The Championship Weekend, there is also a wealth of prizes up for grabs for the winners in each category (all prize values shown in US$).

Professional electrical tradesperson - individual

• 1st place — $75,000 + $5,000 IDEALcash to the contractor

• 2nd place — $25,000

• 3rd place — $10,000

Professional electrical tradespersons - team (three individual electricians from the same company)

• 1st place — $60,000 (split amongst teammates) + $5,000 IDEALcash to the contractor

Electrical apprentice/student - individual

• 1st place — $30,000 + $5,000 IDEALcash to trade school

• 2nd place — $20,000

• 3rd place — $10,000

Electrical apprentice/student - team (three individual electricians from the same company, school or training centre)

• 1st place — $30,000 (split amongst teammates) + $5,000 IDEALcash for trade school

To register and learn more information about the Ideal National Championship, please visit www.IDEALnationals.com. To see videos of the competition, visit our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_wS88XSzzfc_SUc1s1QGg. The Ideal National Championship app is also currently available for free download through Apple, Blackberry, Google Play and Amazon app stores and is compatible with iOS and Android devices.