To reduce the mass and improve the uniformity of pressure distribution on the contact interfaces between the components of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack clamped with steel belts, a multi-objective stepwise optimization method for the endplate is proposed in the present paper. We first divide the 2-D optimization problem into a two-step optimization, i.e. shape optimization and topology optimization, to improve the numerical convergence and stability. The simulated annealing method is introduced to promote the numerical efficiency and precision for the nonlinear contact optimization problem. Then the grid parameterization method is used, resulting in a smooth boundary topology optimization. Finally, based on the 2-D shape optimization and the improved topology optimization, a 3-D optimized topology is obtained using a geometry parameterization method. The final optimized endplate not only gives a small mass but also improves greatly the uniformity of the contact pressure distribution. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.