Abstract Hierarchical architecture with fixed structure is an effective scheme to make Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) scalable and energy-efficient. Clustering the sensor nodes is a well-known two-layered architecture suitable for WSNs and has been extensively explored for different purposes and applications. In this paper, a novel clustering approach called the Fixed Competition-based Clustering Approach (FCBA) is proposed for WSNs. Selecting the cluster heads in... Hierarchical architecture with fixed structure is an effective scheme to make Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) scalable and energy-efficient. Clustering the sensor nodes is a well-known two-layered architecture suitable for WSNs and has been extensively explored for different purposes and applications. In this paper, a novel clustering approach called the Fixed Competition-based Clustering Approach (FCBA) is proposed for WSNs. Selecting the cluster heads in the proposed FCBA is performed based upon a residual energy and the distances among the cluster heads. First, by the new proposed competition scheme, the nodes with the high residual energy which are closer to the center of the density of the nodes are elected and form an initial set of cluster head candidates. Then, the candidates collect data from its members and send it to the base station. By comparing our contribution to the recent clustering algorithms, simulation results show that our scheme is effective in saving energy and power consumption. Read More Read Less