2026 National Conference in Washington DC

Another year filled with hard work and sweat had come to an end, and it was time to fly our projects to the U.S. and present them at the National TSA Conference. This year, our journey took us to the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C. More specifically, however, the National Conference was held at National Harbor in Maryland, across from Alexandria. Our journey began, as usual, accompanied by Mr. Schwieger and Mr. Brunsch. Joining us, of course, were twelve motivated students who, naturally, had set their sights on placing in each of their projects. Our trip began on Sunday morning at Leipzig Airport with a short flight to Frankfurt am Main. Once we arrived in Frankfurt, we were in a bit of a rush to get to the next gate, but boarding was delayed, so we made it onto the plane without any problems. From there, we flew directly on to Washington, D.C. Each of us got through the approximately ten-hour flight with the help of various forms of entertainment. We immediately began preparations for the conference, since it was set to start the very next day. So we cut, glued, and tinkered together on our projects. Already on Day 1, we got in touch with other participants—for example, to get a new LED since ours had broken. In the meantime, we held our first chapter meeting, where we received our lanyards and discussed the rest of the schedule. On Tuesday, we finally gathered for the first general session along with nearly 10,000 students, and the TSA National Conference 2026 was now in full swing. As usual, the following days left us with little free time. We participated in many on-site projects, submitted our models, and even made it to the semifinals in some of our projects. This year, we once again took part in “On Demand Video,” where we had to plan, shoot, and edit a 1-minute video within 36 hours—which took a lot of energy. Amid all the work, the popular pin trading was always going on, during which we circulated our newly designed Germany pin. We met both new and familiar faces and made numerous connections with TSA members from a wide variety of regions. This gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas with successful participants, and it even sparked a motivating rivalry for next year. On Friday, the long-awaited awards ceremony took place. Our hard work paid off, because we made it into the top 10 three times. We won third place in “Digital Video Production” and “Music Production” and took seventh place in “Webmaster”. A more than satisfactory result. After an extensive photo session, we headed to nearby Alexandria and visited the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. In the days that followed, we used our free time to finally explore Washington. We visited the Capitol and Washington’s residence, viewed the Declaration of Independence, and went shopping. On a rainy day, we tried our luck at the White House, but the surrounding park was closed due to preparations for the 250th anniversary. Nevertheless, we visited the Lincoln Memorial with its adjacent Reflecting Pool, the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, and then took a boat across the Potomac back to the hotel. We rounded off our last evening with dinner together, and then it was already time to start packing for the return flight. On Tuesday, we set off for Frankfurt, where we arrived early in the morning and finally flew back to Leipzig. This trip and our achievements are an experience that, thanks to the wonderful memories and new friendships, none of us will ever forget.