Official City Release
Library looking for the builder of the best bridge
Mentioned Entities
Analysis
Overview
The Fort Worth Public Library is hosting its third annual CAD Contest for teens in grades 6-12 throughout March 2026, challenging participants to design and 3D print bridges judged on aesthetics, functionality, and load capacity.
Community Impact
Insights by Role
Journalist
LowLow significance — routine or procedural itemThe library's 18-location free 3D printer network, combined with a prize-based engineering contest, is a concrete, quantifiable example of a public library serving as an equitable technology access point. The bridge-destruction judging format and a full 3D printer as the top prize are editorial differentiators that set this apart from a standard school science fair.
Resident
LowLow significance — routine or procedural itemFort Worth teens in grades 6-12 can enter a free bridge-design contest during March using library 3D printers at 18 locations, with no equipment or materials cost. The submission deadline is 8 p.m. on March 31.
Source Text
Open source →The Fort Worth Public Library invites teens in grades 6-12 to design and 3D print the best bridge in its third annual Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Contest happening in March. Judging is based on meeting the size criteria, how much it looks like a real bridge, if a toy car can easily roll across it and — ultimately — how much weight it can support before breaking.
The creator of the best bridge will take home a brand-new 3D printer; the runner-up will receive a 3D printing pen. Submissions must be original creations and printed using a Fort Worth Public Library 3D printer, available at 18 locations across the city.
Many teenagers already know how to use Tinkercad, a simple website where you drag and drop shapes to make a 3D model. The contest builds on those skills by challenging them not just to design bridges, but to think about how much weight they can handle.
“We thought it would be fun if the contest was to destroy the bridges as a playful way to build on technology and engineering concepts they learn in school,” said teen program coordinator Christina Granados.
The Library offers 3D printers and the materials needed to print free of charge — available on a first-come, first-served basis. Those unfamiliar with 3D modeling can attend one of the Library’s 3D Design programs, as well as a variety of other free programs for other skill levels.
The CAD Contest runs from March 1-31. All submissions must be in before libraries close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 31.
Click here for more information and full submission guidelines.
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