John Deere Launches Building America” Excavator Contest at Conexpo

The silver lot at Conexpo is loud, busy, and full of awesome yellow iron. I know this because the Construction Equipment crew spent serious time exploring the massive John Deere booth this week — the crown jewel of the silver lot. We got a private tour. I don’t like to brag, but it was pretty darn sweet.

Deere is using the show to talk about everything from new midsized P-Tier excavators and simulator training programs to obstacle detection cameras and just announced P-Tier motor graders. There was so much to see, but one of the biggest show stoppers was the announcement of a spotlight contest aimed directly at the people who run that iron every day.

John Deere just launched the Building America Excavator Contest, a nationwide competition celebrating contractors and operators helping shape their communities. Submit right here. The program ties into the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States and puts the spotlight on the real builders of the country. The idea is simple. Tell your story. Show the work. Win a new excavator.

How do I submit to John Deere’s Building America Excavator contest?

Participants must submit a short video that highlights their construction business, how they currently use equipment on projects, and how they plan to keep building their communities in the future. Deere will review the entries, pick finalists, and then open the decision to public voting. The winner takes home a brand-new John Deere midsize excavator from its new generation lineup. That’s a serious prize for any contractor or fleet.

The contest is open to construction professionals across the United States who already operate excavators in their business. The goal is to showcase real work happening on jobsites today while highlighting the role contractors play in infrastructure and community development.

Here is the timeline Deere announced at Conexpo:

• Contest entry window: March 3, 2026 – April 30, 2026
• Finalists announced: July 4, 2026
• Public voting: August 17 – August 31, 2026
• Winner announced: September 8, 2026

To enter, participants must:

• Be a legal resident of the United States or Washington, D.C.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Own or work for a qualifying business.
• Own at least one excavator of any brand.
• Contractors can submit their entry and review the full rules at JohnDeereExcavatorContest.com.

A new generation of midsize excavators

The contest revolves around Deere’s newest excavator platform. The company rolled out its P-Tier midsize excavator lineup earlier this year. Check out our story here. The launch includes the 210, 230, and 260 P-Tier models in the 20-metric-ton class. These machines were redesigned from the ground up. Deere engineers spent thousands of hours testing them with real operators. According to the company, development included more than 165,000 hours of field operation before launch.

Operators can choose performance modes like Dig, Lift, and Eco to balance productivity and fuel use. Inside the cab, Deere expanded operator space and built a new interface around its 12.8-inch G5 Plus touchscreen display. The system manages machine diagnostics, attachments, and camera views from a single screen. Connectivity is also baked into the machines. Remote Display Access allows remote viewing of machine data, while Remote Display Control lets approved users adjust machine settings remotely.

Extended reality training replaces traditional simulators

Another interesting announcement in the booth involves training. Deere debuted its Extended Reality (XR) Training System, a headset-based platform designed to teach operators how to run and maintain machines. Instead of sitting in a fixed simulator, users wear a headset and enter a digital training environment. The system blends virtual reality and augmented reality to walk operators through machine controls, maintenance steps, and operational tasks. The system currently supports two machines:

• 650 P-Tier dozer
• 210 P-Tier excavator

The XR platform includes several training modes:

• Guided lessons for maintenance and controls
• Interactive modules like trenching and spreading
• Sandbox mode for open exploration of machines
• Challenge mode with timed tasks and gamified operation

The entire platform runs on portable headsets like Meta Quest 3 or Pico 4 Ultra Enterprise, allowing training at dealerships, classrooms, jobsites, or events. For fleets that struggle to train new operators quickly, this kind of mobile training platform could become a useful tool.

A busy booth in the silver lot 

If you walked the silver lot at Conexpo this week, the Deere booth was hard to miss. Contractors climbed in machines and operators dug into the technology displays. The Building America Excavator Contest adds a fun twist to the show’s serious iron. But it also reflects something bigger. Deere wants to spotlight the contractors and operators who actually run the machines and build the infrastructure that keeps communities moving. If you operate excavators and want a shot at a new midsize machine, the contest window is already open. I’m excited to see how this all turns out.