Celebrating the Winners of Canstruction Boston 2025!

Posted on Oct. 21, 2025  /  Events  /  Subscribe 0

Author: Alexa Prenovitz

This is year 3 of the Canstruction partnership with SMPS Boston! The SMPS Boston Outreach Committee, which I’m proud to be a part of, leads this event because it perfectly combines two of our key goals: connecting members of the A/E/C community and community service. Read on for a full recap!

 Canstruction Boston has once again showcased the incredible creativity and generosity of our community. This year's event brought together 13 talented teams who used their skills to build impressive structures out of canned goods, all for a great cause. The theme was “GAMES,” and these teams definitely rose to the challenge! From board games to video games, playground classics to brain-teasing puzzles, this year’s challenge invited teams to play with creativity and strategy.  Let's take a moment to celebrate the winners and reflect on the impact Canstruction has on the community.

 Canstruction’s mission is to highlight hunger and food insecurity across communities, collect food for those in need, and showcase the creativity of the A/E/C industry. For the past 30 years, Canstruction Boston has done just that for the greater Boston area, raising more than one MILLION pounds of food!

The Winners

This year's competition was fierce, with many outstanding entries. Each year, our judges are esteemed members of the AEC community, and this year we had representatives from AGC, the BSA, PWC Boston, EBC New England, and SMPS Boston. People’s Choice was determined by a public poll in which voters could make one selection.

 Here are the winners in each category:

Best Meal

This category recognizes a structure that uses healthy ingredients to create a well-balanced – and appetizing – meal. Judges reward structures that use the Food Bank’s most wanted food items: peanut butter; tuna fish; meals in cans (such as stews, chilis, or pastas); canned fruits, vegetables, and beans; soup. Judges deduct points if junk food is used.

Winner: Nitsch Engineering, CAN I Solve The Puzzle?

 The judges noted that Nitsch clearly put a lot of thought into diversifying the food in their structure to bring in a wide range of items specifically requested by the Food Bank. This included 3,300 cans of beans, vegetables, tuna, peanut butter, and soup—and the protein-rich structure really helps fuel families!

Best Use of Labels

This category recognizes a structure that creatively uses labels to add details that enhance the overall appearance. Judges consider whether labels are turned the correct way throughout the structure and assess whether thought was put into the appearance of leveling material and materials used to connect cans (rubber bands, nylon string, etc.).

Winner: South Coast Improvement Company, Boardwalk of Giving

The judges loved the precision with which cans were placed to make the impact, with one noting, “It just seemed very crisp, with clear lines and great colors. Great job lining up the cans exactly!”

Structural Ingenuity 

This category recognizes a structure that involves a high level of complexity, where most of the support appears to be from cans, rather than other (permissible) building materials. Judges seek to answer the question, “Does the structure appear gravity-defying, but is stable?”

Winner: McNamara Salvia, Squirtle

 The judges noted that he makes a huge impact and that the cantilevering was very impressive. They specifically noted, “The bottom of his shell isn’t touching the ground – so impressive to have it balanced on the tail, feet, and saxophone! It looks like it shouldn’t work, but it does!”

Best Original Design

This category recognizes a structure that creates a lasting impression, is awe-inspiring, and shows creativity in its use of cans, imagery, theme, or style. Judges consider structural ingenuity and use of labels, and reward structures that are creative and fun above all else.

Winner: SMMA, Walk-a Walk-a Walk Away From Hunger

The judges enjoyed the two-sided structure, the vivid colors, and 3D element. They noted, “This one had a real WOW factor!”

Most Cans

Awarded to the structure that results in the largest can donation to the Food Bank.

Winner: Simpson, Gumpertz, & Heger (SGH), Putting Out Hunger

With 4,615 cans – the most cans in any structure, PLUS another 1,416 packages, resulting in 6,031 food items. A truly amazing donation to the food bank! 

Honorable Mention

Awarded to another structure that the judges believe made a significant impact. 

Winner: Wilson Butler Architects, No Longer Hungry Hungry Hippos

The judges thought this was very clever, and really fun to look at, with one noting, “I just kept going back to this one and saying, ‘I really just love looking at this one’.” All of the judges loved the connection between the game and fighting hunger.

Social Media Soup-er Star

This category recognizes the team that posted the most Canstruction-related Instagram posts, as defined by the competition rules.

Winner(s): Congrats to our TWO winners this year, Wentworth CM Club and Wilson Butler Architects!

Wentworth leveraged Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook to drive 10,443 impressions on their top 5 posts! 

Wilson Butler used Instagram and LinkedIn to drive an impressive 7% engagement rate on their top 5 posts!

People's Choice

This category recognizes the most popular structure, determined by the number of votes received on the official Canstruction Boston PollUnit during the window of voting (Sunday, October 5th through noon on Wednesday, October 15th). We received 4,540 votes this year – the most ever! And with 59% of the vote, this year’s winner is Wentworth Institute of Technology Sweeney Programs of Construction Management’s The ‘C’Angry Bird receiving 2,661 votes!

The Impact on the Community

Together, we have raised 34,693 cans/items of food this year!

Canstruction Boston is more than just a competition; it's a powerful force for good in our community. The event benefits the Merrimack Valley Food Bank (MVFB), which has a significant impact on fighting hunger in our region. The Merrimack Valley Food Bank:

Kelly Proulx, MVFB’s Director of Communications & Public Relations, expressed gratitude for the Canstruction event: “We are so grateful for our ongoing partnership with Canstruction Boston, which has provided nearly 600,000 pounds of food (or nearly 462,000 meals) since 2011, in addition to significant financial support! Food insecurity rates are continuing to grow in our region, making the work we do more important than ever. The support from Canstruction Boston helps fill our shelves during the times of the year when food drives are infrequent, and we are so thankful that you share our vision to make sure no member of our community has to go to bed hungry!”

Get Involved

While Canstruction Boston 2025 BUILD is over, there’s still more we can do for those experiencing hunger in MA. And the season of giving is coming up!

You can make a difference by volunteering, donating, or visiting www.mvfb.org for more information.

Additionally, we’ve decided to raise funds for the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Through the end of the month, you can donate to our fundraiser here.

See the Structures

These amazing installations will be available for public viewing through Friday, October 24th in the lobbies of 280 and 290 Congress Street in Boston, MA. This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of Atlantic Wharf and Boston Properties, as well as the BSA Space. It’s thanks to them that we are able to build here and continue to inspire the community.

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