Research Symposium contest | Science Societies
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Research Symposium contest

Present your research at CANVAS 2026

The National Research Symposium contest: Poster and Oral competitions develops students ability to construct research and competitively present those research findings through oral and poster presentations to judges at CANVAS. You must attend CANVAS to participate in this contest.

Purpose

This symposium gives undergraduate students an outlet to develop research and competitively present research findings to judges and an interested audience at CANVAS.

Abstract deadline: June 23, 2026

  • Curious as to how your submission will be scored? View the Oral and Poster scorecards.
Submit abstracts now

Contest guidelines

This contest is open to undergraduate students or individual who performed research as an undergraduate and are a member of the Societies. Symposium presentation can take place up to a semester past a student’s respective graduation date.

  1. Each author should select an appropriate research subject and title. Authors are encouraged to consult with their advisor or second author when choosing topics. Each paper shall have a second author listed on the abstract. Second authors may be an ASA, CSSA, or SSA member or academic advisor (membership not required for advisor). To become a member, sign up online.
  2. Paper submission must be original work by the contestant, meet all deadlines, and adhere to appropriate guidelines.
  3. Students submitting abstracts must hold active membership with the Societies and pay the fee for each abstract submitted. Membership status will be verified.
  4. Using another person’s membership number to submit an abstract will result in disqualification from any prizes.
  5. Students can give an oral presentation, present a poster, or both, provided the research topics are different. However, no student can present more than one volunteered paper in the oral and poster presentations regardless of the number of papers on which the person appears as an author.

  • Submit abstract online on or before the abstract deadline: June 23, 2026.
  • Submit abstract in Undergraduate (SASES) Sessions.
  • Select either SASES Undergraduate Research Symposium Oral Contest or SASES Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Contest to submit the abstract.
    1. Abstract must be submitted by the student member.
    2. All abstracts must be initiated by deadline. After submission, you will be able to edit your abstract through Nov. 2, 2026.
    3. Abstract submission is an official entry into contest. Your abstract is not submitted until you receive an e-mail receipt from Conference Exchange (Confex) with your abstract number and password. This e-mail will acknowledge the successful registration of your abstract. Without this number, your paper is not officially registered.
    • We recommend that you keep emails as proof of a successful submission.

Awards & recognition

Cash awards will be provided to the top three winners in each oral session, which may have one or two sessions. The poster contest will recognize a winner in each category for an award, and may have three to size categories. Winners will be recognized at the SASES Awards Dinner.

Oral (1 session)Oral (2 sessions)1st Place Poster
1st $4001st $200$400 (if 3 categories)
2nd $2502nd $125$300 (if 4 categories)
3rd $2003rd $100$240 (if 5 categories)
$200 (if 6 categories)  

Requirements

Oral Presentations

  1. Presenters are required to upload their presentation slides at least one hour before the competition (deadline: Nov. 4, 2026 | noon). Failure to do so will disqualify students from the competition.
  2. Presentations can be uploaded either by logging into the Speaker’s Corner or by going to the Speaker Ready room at CANVAS (convention location). 

Poster Presentations

  1. Poster should be 44.5” x 44.5” Posters exceeding the size limits will be penalized 10 points on each judge’s scorecard. All presenters will present for a two hour period. A poster board number will be placed in the upper left corner of the board on a 4½” x 3” card. The poster boards are Velcro friendly. Please bring your own Velcro. Computer display equipment, sound or projection equipment, or free-standing displays are not permitted.
  2. Participants should be set up within the Exhibit Hall on Monday morning. 

Judging

Oral Presentations

  • Oral papers will be presented on Monday afternoon of CANVAS. · Presenters will have a total of 12 minutes to present, plus 3 minutes of questions from the judges and audience (fellow school members are excluded).
  • Overtime penalty: presentations of less than 8 minutes or more than 13 minutes may be penalized up to 5 points.
  • Participants will be judged on presentation and question responses/answers.
    • Papers will be scored by at least three judges using the official rubric.
  • Judges are appointed by the contest chair of the Oral Research Symposium contest sub-committee. Judges will meet 15-30 minutes before the SASES Oral session for final instructions, as coordinated by the chair of the Oral Research Symposium contest sub-committee.
  • Each judge shall observe their assigned presenters and submit the scores to the online Confex portal (judges are encouraged to submit written feedback along with numerical scores, but only the numerical scores will be used for determining places). The chair of the Oral Research Symposium contest sub-committee shall verify scores uploaded to Confex and determine the top three placements.
  • Presentations will not be recorded, but it may be possible for students to obtain feedback comments (if submitted by the judges) after the conference.
  • Adhere carefully to presentation requirements as failure to do so could result in being barred from the competition.

Poster Presentations

  • Posters will be displayed the entirety of Monday during CANVAS. Authors are expected to be present for two hours on Monday evening, as indicated in CANVAS schedule, to explain data and answer questions. Adhere carefully to poster dimensions and equipment specifications listed above. Failure to do so could prevent display of your poster.
  • Posters will be scored by at least three judges using the official rubric.
  • Judges will be given up to 5 minutes to observe posters and ask questions. Presenters need to be prepared to concisely highlight the research topic, objectives, and results. Presenters are advised to design their poster as an “illustrated abstract” and not as an “illustrated manuscript”—that is, short and sweet!
  • Judges shall be appointed well in advance of the contest by the chair of the Poster Research Symposium Contest sub-committee.
  • Each judge shall observe their assigned presenters and submit the scores to the online Confex portal. The chair of the Poster Research Symposium Contest sub-committee shall tabulate all judging scores and determine the top three placements.
     
Withdrawal of Submission
  • Please notify the contest Chair by e-mail if you wish to withdraw from the competition.
  • Additional instructions on withdrawing your paper will be included in the email you receive upon abstract submission.

Contacts

Oral Contest Chair: Angela Ebeling | Send Message

Poster Contest Chair: Tanner Judd  | Send Message 

ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Contact: Student Programs | Send Message

2025 Winners

Oral Contest Session I

1st Place: Pedro Zolin, University of Georgia-Athens
2nd Place: Colten Nichols, University of Arkansas
3rd Place: Shelby Andre, West Virginia University

Oral Contest Session II

1st Place: Jacob Wittmer, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
2nd Place: Lucas Peranzoni Deponti, University of Georgia-Athens
3rd Place: Chloe Tilley, Texas A&M University

Poster Contest Session I

1st Place: Jaymee Renfro-Dubovich, Kansas State University
2nd Place: Natalie Rice, University of Idaho
3rd Place: Sarah Siegle, North Carolina State University

Poster Contest Session II

1st Place: Ezra Larsen, Brigham Young University
2nd Place: Ruby Sannar, Brigham Young University
3rd Place: Dalen Theobald, University of Idaho

Poster Contest Session III

1st Place: Austin Meade, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
2nd Place: Kate Good, University of Wyoming
3rd Place: Quinten Bina, Kansas State University

Poster Contest Session IV

1st Place: Andrea Padilla, Western Illinois University
2nd Place: Elizabeth Scales, Texas A&M University
3rd Place: Allison Lynch, Iowa State University

Poster Contest Session V

1st Place: Morgan Wlaschin, University of California-Davis
2nd Place: Abigael Villeneuve, University of Arkansas
3rd Place: Maria Dold, Auburn University

2024 Winners

Oral Contest Session I

1st Place: Steven Mai, Auburn University
2nd Place: Damon LeMaster, West Virginia University
3rd Place TIE!: Katherine Atkins, University of Texas-Arlington and Fiona Todd, University of Minnesota

Oral Contest Session II

1st Place: Cassandra Stachler, Ohio State University
2nd Place: Amy Skelton, Texas A&M University
3rd Place: Racquel Gorden, University of Central Missouri

Poster Contest Session I

1st Place: Kathryn Young, Brigham Young University
2nd Place: Marina Ferandini Vallada Guadagnucci, Iowa State University
3rd Place: Taylor Smith, Texas Tech University

Poster Contest Session II

1st Place: Alex Rodriguez, Cal State University-Monterey Bay
2nd Place: William Ubben, Virginia Tech University
3rd Place: Molly Kane, Kansas State University

Poster Contest Session III

1st Place: Elayna Stirn, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
2nd Place: Ryan Gibson, Texas A&M University
3rd Place: Austin Meade, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Poster Contest Session IV

1st Place: João Victor Colla Ferro, Oklahoma State University
2nd Place: Kaitlin Campbell, University of Missouri
3rd Place: Jnnea Nobal, Western Illinois University

Poster Contest Session V

1st Place: Aidan Bobholz, Iowa State University and Bryce Himmelberg, University of Missouri
2nd Place: Kendall Hays, Oklahoma State University
3rd Place: Mattie Pettus, Oklahoma State University

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