May 8, 2020

IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the original 2020 IDEAL National Championship electrician challenge program structure in all participating countries. The 2021 IDEAL National Championship registration will open early next year, and the 2021 Finals will be held December 15-17 in Nashville, Tennessee. In the meantime, IDEAL will still be honoring and supporting the trade across a number of innovative digital competitions, national broadcast feature programs and ongoing local community support.

"We are still going to be there for the electrical community in 2020," confirmed Doug Sanford Senior Vice President; General Manager, Electrical and Infrastructure at IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. "The current environment mandates that we absolutely put the safety of all of our competitors and partners first. While we will not be coming together as we have in the past to practice, qualify and compete this year, we will be launching new innovative programs to help electricians be at the top of their craft and showcase their skillset while continuing to focus on their essential work across the globe during this pandemic.”

IDEAL will be introducing the “Stay Wired to Win” program in June, which will encourage participants across the U.S. and Canada to prepare for the 2021 IDEAL National Championship via at-home monthly challenges. Top participants will receive custom prize packages and the right to compete in a virtual national final challenge competition in November 2020. The program will also include training, technique sharing and other activities to keep electricians sparked during this pause in the traditional IDEAL National Championship program structure. The details of the “Stay Wired To Win” competition program schedule, participation and rules will be shared on IDEALNATIONALS.com in the next few weeks.

IDEAL has also launched The IDEAL Champions Club, initially in the U.S., where participants can stay connected with the Nationals community and receive exclusive benefits through an expanded e-commerce offering, making it easier for electricians to get what they want and need. Club members will also enjoy additional perks throughout the year from IDEAL and its partners. All can sign up at IDEALNATIONALS.COM. 

The industry-wide skills competition will resume and be bigger than ever with regional qualifying events starting in spring 2021. Steve Henn, CEO, explained "There are extra demands on society this year. Electricians are doing essential work during this crisis, keeping power running in our hospitals, shelters, grocery stores and more. We cannot distract them from their important work in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, China, Mexico and other places around the globe. We need to focus our collective energy on a larger community calling for 2020." Henn added, "There are still many unknowns this year with the Coronavirus outbreak, and the well-being of our electricians, contractors, educators, students and their collective families is our top priority. We are taking the guidelines related to gatherings and physical distancing very seriously while remaining committed to connect and support the trades in 2020.”

IDEALNATIONALS.COM