steelChallenge-20
The Regional Championship
steelChallenge-20 took place in two rounds. The Regional Championship occurred on 25 November 2025 from 12.00 UTC. Participants had 24 hours to record successful runs of the chosen steelmaking simulators.
The 20th edition attracted 2,438 participants worldwide — 1,159 students, 755 industry professionals, and, for the first time, 524 high school learners through the new High School Pilot. Participants used steeluniversity’s EAF and Secondary Steelmaking simulators to produce the best steel at the lowest cost while meeting carbon footprint requirements.
The top five participants in each category and region advanced to the World Championship, held during the worldsteel Special General Meeting in Berlin, Germany.
Schedule
1
Sep 1, 2025
Registration
Opened
Registration was performed at steeluniversity.org and granted access to simulations, 3D models, e-learning courses, video tutorials, forum and support desk.
2
Oct 7, 2025
Learning by Doing – EAF and Secondary Steelmaking Simulation Explained
1hr steelTalks Masterclass delivered by Dr. Ing. Ronald O’Brien. Class is recorded.
3
Nov 3, 2025
Hydrogen-Based Direct Reduction
1hr steelTalks Masterclass delivered by Prof. Valentina Colla. Class is recorded.
4
Nov 11, 2025
Digital and Green Transformation of Steelmaking
1hr steelTalks Masterclass delivered by Dr. Thorsten Hauck. Class is recorded.
5
Nov 25, 2025
Regional
Championship
Participants had 24 hours to record successful runs of the chosen steelmaking simulators.
6
Apr 13, 2026
World
Championship
There were 10 qualifiers for the World Championship. The qualifiers included the student and industry winners in each region.
Results Regional Championship
Europe and Africa – Industry
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Wojciech Skuza | ArcelorMittal | Poland | 463.75 |
| 2 | Alvaro Ariznavarreta Mayado | Acerinox | Spain | 465.56 |
| 3 | David Melón Presa | Roldan S. A. | Spain | 469.74 |
| 4 | Aniruddha Dutta | ArcelorMittal | Belgium | 471.81 |
| 5 | Dean Didloff | Columbus Stainless Steel | South Africa | 476.03 |
Americas – Industry
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Marviane Souza | ArcelorMittal | Brazil | 462.01 |
| 2 | Dávila de Oliveira Viana | Casa dos Ventos | Brazil | 462.30 |
| 3 | Yoran Bolsoni | ArcelorMittal | Brazil | 462.31 |
| 4 | Renardir Junior | ArcelorMittal | Brazil | 462.56 |
| 5 | Pablo Leão | ArcelorMittal | Brazil | 462.99 |
Asia West – Industry
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Balahanuman Naradala | EMSTEEL | UAE | 463.36 |
| 2 | Omar Shouan | EMSTEEL | UAE | 463.45 |
| 3 | Ashwini Kumar | Tata Steel Limited | India | 463.61 |
| 4 | Satrughna Nayak | Tata Steel Limited | India | 463.72 |
| 5 | Ajit Kumar Kindo | ArcelorMittal | India | 465.03 |
Asia North – Industry
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Yang Wang (王洋) | HBIS Group Co., Ltd. | China | 459.89 |
| 2 | Wang Yang (王扬) | HBIS Group Co., Ltd. | China | 460.09 |
| 3 | Gang Zu (祖刚) | HBIS Group Co., Ltd. | China | 460.11 |
| 4 | Zhiliang Li (李志亮) | HBIS Group Co., Ltd. | China | 460.18 |
| 5 | Zhaohai Fei (费照海) | HBIS Group Co., Ltd. | China | 460.25 |
Asia East and Oceania – Industry
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Nahyun Kim (김나현) | POSCO Holdings | South Korea | 461.19 |
| 2 | Min Hyeok Kim (김민혁) | POSCO Holdings | South Korea | 461.32 |
| 3 | Jinzhong Yang (杨金中) | Indonesia Ruipu Nickel & Chrome Alloy | Indonesia | 461.32 |
| 4 | Yun-su Kim (김윤수) | POSCO Holdings | South Korea | 461.46 |
| 5 | Heewoon Ro (노희운) | POSCO Holdings | South Korea | 461.72 |
Europe and Africa – Students
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Janez Cerkovnik | University of Ljubljana | Slovenia | 467.60 |
| 2 | Miha Perič Poljanec | University of Ljubljana | Slovenia | 469.59 |
| 3 | Valentin Nitelet | University of Mons | Belgium | 469.87 |
| 4 | Timotej Rakuša | University of Ljubljana | Slovenia | 469.88 |
| 5 | Joseph Manuel Bustillos Peñaloza | Universidad Politécnica de Madrid | Spain | 481.42 |
Americas – Students
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Victor Lima | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Brazil | 455.547 |
| 2 | Maria Gabrielly Muniz Ximenes | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Brazil | 455.551 |
| 3 | Italo Lino Alves | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Brazil | 455.99 |
| 4 | Luana Nogueira | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Brazil | 456.15 |
| 5 | Matheus Segundo Teixeira | Universidade Federal do Ceará | Brazil | 456.32 |
Asia West – Students
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Muaz Alhaji | Amity University | UAE | 457.23 |
| 2 | Majd Raed | United Arab Emirates University | UAE | 457.34 |
| 3 | Abdulrhman Hashiem | Abu Dhabi University | UAE | 457.49 |
| 4 | Ali Tariq | Abu Dhabi University | UAE | 457.727 |
| 5 | Priyadarshni Kumari | Shavak Nanavati Technical Institute | India | 457.730 |
Asia North – Students
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Lei Ge (葛磊) | Tangshan Vocational College of Science and Technology | China | 455.19 |
| 2 | Longhai Du (杜龙海) | Tangshan Vocational College of Science and Technology | China | 455.34 |
| 3 | Jie Hu (胡杰) | Tangshan Vocational College of Science and Technology | China | 455.41 |
| 4 | Yuanchao Deng (邓远超) | Chongqing University of Science and Technology | China | 455.57 |
| 5 | Xulin Feng (冯旭林) | Tangshan Vocational College of Science and Technology | China | 455.66 |
Asia East and Oceania – Students
| Position | Person | Affiliation | Country | Price |
| 1 | Jeonghoo Choi (최정후) | Jeonbuk National University | South Korea | 454.95 |
| 2 | Doo Yeon Kim (김두연) | Dong-A University | South Korea | 455.76 |
| 3 | Taek Yong Jeong (정택용) | Dong-A University | South Korea | 455.83 |
| 4 | Hee Deok Yoo (유희덕) | Dong-A University | South Korea | 455.85 |
| 5 | Jae Hyung Ju (주재형) | Dong-A University | South Korea | 455.90 |
Regional Championship at a glance
World Championship
The World Championship of the 20th steelChallenge took place on 13 April 2026 in Berlin, Germany. The best players of the Regional Championship from the industry and student categories competed for the global title.
For the 2026 edition, the World Championship adopted an enhanced format designed to deepen technical analysis and strengthen the overall learning experience. Participants were challenged to solve a new case study using steeluniversity’s Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) simulator, focusing on optimising steel production under strict operational and sustainability constraints.
steelChallenge-20 World Champions
Industry Category
| Person | Affiliation | Country |
| Wang Yang (王扬) | HBIS Group Co., Ltd. | China |
Students Category
| Person | Affiliation | Country |
| Ge Lei (葛磊) | Tangshan Vocational College of Science and Technology | China |
Gallery
steelChallenge-20 was generously sponsored by the following companies:</p
