2022 IDEAL® National Championship
2022 IDEAL® National Championship Makes Debut in Tampa Nov. 4-5
Top electricians and apprentices will compete in timed competitions showcasing the essential skills and expertise of the trade
SYCAMORE, Ill. - IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. will host its annual IDEAL National Championship from Nov. 4-5, to be held at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL. Over the course of the event, 145 electrical trade professionals and apprentices from around the U.S and Canada will show off their skills and compete for the chance to win championship titles and their share of over $600,000 in cash and prizes, along with recognition as an elite electrician.
Competitors will demonstrate their skills in four rounds of intense challenges that electricians typically face on service requests, including a commercial pull box prep and install, a commercial panel install, a three-way switch install and an entire panel change-out. The 2022 IDEAL National Championship will be hosted by Chip Wade and is free to the public to attend. The ETCS Lounge and Sponsor Village provides hands-on activity zones for attendees to interact with and learn about products used in the competition.
To watch the 2022 IDEAL National Championship Hype Video, click here.
“It’s our favorite time of the year again - where we get to celebrate elite electricians and apprentices and be amazed by the skills they bring to the competition floor," said Carmen Cardillo, General Manager, IDEAL Electrical U.S. and Mexico. “The event is becoming our annual holiday to showcase the skilled trades community and honor the importance of this work. And every year - we challenge ourselves to raise the bar to deliver for the competitors, their supporters, and the audience overall.”
IDEAL National Championship Honors Electrical Trade Community
Established in 2016, the IDEAL National Championship is designed to celebrate and honor the electrical trade and its hard-working men and women. The competition highlights the professional trades as an exhilarating, rewarding and in-demand career path that provides necessary skills to keep local communities thriving. This effort remains a priority for IDEAL as part of its commitment to support the trade and infrastructure communities overall.
The manufacturing industry faced a major setback after losing roughly 1.4 million jobs at the onset of the pandemic. Since then, the trades industry has struggled to hire entry level and skilled workers alike, and the need for new hires is at an all-time high. Coming out of the pandemic the demand for skilled trades have increased between 100% to over 300%.
“While no job is completely recession-proof, the skilled trades provide better job security than others during an economic downturn. You can make an excellent living in the trades without incurring student debt along with the satisfaction of knowing that you’re contributing something vital to society,” said Cardillo. “The IDEAL National Championship is an exciting competition and a great celebration for Electricians and our way of shining a spotlight on an amazing career path."
Road to Finals Week
Competitors at the Finals event must earn their way there by demonstrating their range of knowledge by installing a receptacle, splicing and testing for continuity. Scores were based on the quality of work and the time it took to complete the challenge with the winner of each state advancing to Finals Week.
Over 800 Qualifying events were hosted across the U.S. and Canada at electrical distributor locations, retailers such as Lowe's as well as trade schools and industry organizations such as the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
In addition to the standard Qualifying events, IDEAL supercharged the chances for electricians to advance by adding six additional "Automatic Qualifying Events," where the winner of that event would fast track straight to the Finals competition in Tampa. On top of that, every single Electrician that competed who did not win their state was entered into IDEAL's "Champions Recharged" drawing, where ten electricians and ten apprentices advanced to Championship Weekend as "Wild Card" competitors.
2022 IDEAL National Championship Prize Structure
A total of 145 professional and apprentice Qualifying Round winners from the U.S. and Canada will advance to the 2022 National Championship event in Tampa this year. They will compete not only for over $600,000 in cash and prizes, but also to realize the distinction of being one of the world's elite electricians.
Individual prizes include:
- 1st place: $60,000 for professionals, $40,000 for apprentices
- 2nd place: $25,000 for professionals, $20,000 for apprentices
- 3rd place: $10,000 for professionals, $10,000 for apprentices
The 2022 IDEAL National Championship Finals event in Tampa can be rewatched in December, when CBS Sports will air a special broadcast of the competition to celebrate and honor the hardworking men and women of the electrical trade community. A live stream of the final rounds of the 2022 IDEAL National Championship will be available to watch on IDEAL’s Facebook page tentatively starting at 1:00 p.m. CST Saturday, Nov. 5.
The IDEAL National Championship is now part of the IDEAL® Elite Trades Championship Series, expanding support for the skilled trades and career path opportunities to other areas, including automotive and HVAC technicians in 2022.
To access the 2022 IDEAL National Championship press kit including images, b-roll and logos, click here.
About IDEAL® ELECTRICAL
IDEAL ELECTRICAL is a company of IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. IDEAL is a global leader in premium electrical tools, testers, and wire connectivity. As The Electrician's Champion™, IDEAL has created products and technologies for professional electricians, design engineers and facilities executives for more than 100 years.
About IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC.
IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. is a global, diversified family-owned business designing and manufacturing superior products for the electrical, lighting and infrastructure industries. The 105-year-old company was founded in 1916 on the premise of forging ideal relationships with customers, employees, partners and communities. The company has consistently grown and expanded under five generations of family ownership. For more information, visit www.idealindustries.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Isaiah Neal
(651) 757-8740