Winners have been named in the collision repair, collision damage appraisal and automotive refinishing competitions at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta.
The event ran June 1 to 5 at the Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena. The SkillsUSA Championships brought together more than 6,800 state champions competing in 115 skilled and leadership competitions.
SkillsUSA is a U.S. career and technical student organization for students, teachers and industry partners in skilled trades and technical education.
In automotive refinishing technology, high school gold went to Nick Patalinghug of California. Miguel De La Paz of Oklahoma won silver and Drew Faeth of Ohio won bronze.
In college/postsecondary automotive refinishing technology, Emma Uhler of Nebraska won gold. Isabella Roll of North Dakota won silver and Zoe Hunt of Idaho won bronze.
In high school collision damage appraisal, Madison Warren of Tennessee won gold. Jered Wyant of Michigan won silver and Brayden Elliott of Missouri won bronze.
In college/postsecondary collision damage appraisal, Benjamin Swanson of Illinois won gold. Emmalee Johnson of Tennessee won silver and Steven Fowler of Utah won bronze.
In high school collision repair technology, Nunzio Terranova of Missouri won gold. Albert Gouveia of Massachusetts won silver and Adam Miller of North Carolina won bronze.
In college/postsecondary collision repair technology, Autumn Harvey of Idaho won gold. Kaden Dykes of Colorado won silver and Preston Vandenberg of Wisconsin won bronze.
The collision repair technology contest tested students on repair tasks tied to modern bodyshop work, including metal straightening, attachment methods, plastic repair and structural analysis. Competitors were also assessed through written testing tied to collision repair knowledge, including an ASE exam and a structural analysis evaluation.
The automotive refinishing technology contest focused on paint and refinish work, including surface preparation, masking, spray gun operation, paint mixing, colour matching, paint application and finish quality.
The collision damage appraisal contest tested students on their ability to assess collision damage and prepare repair estimates.
The U.S. event followed the Skills Canada National Competition, held last month in Toronto, where Canadian students and apprentices competed in more than 40 skill areas. Its 2026 national medalists were recognized at a closing ceremony on May 30 after more than 500 competitors took part at the Enercare Centre.
In Canada’s car painting competition, Manitoba’s Cassandra Foy won gold at the post-secondary level, while Ontario’s Peyton Miller Plante won gold at the secondary level. In post-secondary autobody repair, British Columbia’s Vladyslav Usach won gold, while British Columbia’s Sy Korf won gold in secondary autobody repair.
