SDSU Wins Craftsmanship Award at Tractor Event

By Scout Nelson

South Dakota State University (SDSU) earned eighth place among 24 university teams during the International Quarter-Scale Tractor Competition, held from May 28-31, 2026, in Bloomington, Illinois.

The SDSU tractor, nicknamed Shelby, stood out because of its white-and-blue paint design inspired by Ford Shelby Mustangs. The team achieved one of its strongest performances during the tractor pull, placing fourth and earning 94.8% of the available points across three pulling events.

The team also performed well in several engineering categories. Students scored 93.6% in the Written Design Report and 84.7% in the Defense of Design, where judges asked detailed questions about the tractor’s engineering decisions. The event tests students’ ability to explain how their design choices meet competition requirements.

SDSU also received the prestigious Craftsmanship Award for the tractor’s excellent build quality, careful material selection, and attention to detail. Shelby features automotive-quality paint, chrome hardware, polished aluminum components, and faux leather seating, showing both engineering skill and craftsmanship.

Advisor Douglas Prairie praised the team's design but explained that additional testing before the competition could have solved some electrical wiring problems. “We had a well-designed tractor; it just needed extra testing prior to the competition to work out some electrical wiring gremlins.” Prairie also recognized the high quality of competing universities and added, “The competitive nature of our team drives us to push harder next year to get back on top.”

SDSU has built a strong history in this international competition, winning championships in 2018, 2022, and 2023, finishing second in 2017, 2019, and 2025, and placing third in 2024.

Students are already preparing for the 2027 competition. Incoming team president Joseph Mohr identified more testing as the highest priority. “Perform more testing! We learned quite a bit about our tractor at the competition because we hadn’t tested it as thoroughly as we should have. Next year we plan to test extensively.”

Photo Credit: shelby