SLAS Student Poster Award

Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, 2 February 2026

Poster Image Upload Deadline: Monday, 30 March 2026

Student Poster Judging at SLAS Europe 2026: TBD

Many candidates for the award are chosen to present during SLAS Europe 2026 as part of the SLAS Travel (Tony B.) Award Program. The selection of the recipients of the SLAS Travel (Tony B.) The award is based on several factors and is overseen by the SLAS Awards and Grants Committee. Candidates need not be SLAS Travel (Tony B.) Award recipients to participate in the SLAS Student Poster Award Program.

The SLAS Student Poster Judging Panel reviews all qualifying poster presentations from the abstracts received in response to the Call for Abstracts. To qualify for entry into the SLAS Europe 2026 Student Poster Award, the author must opt in for consideration using the appropriate checkbox during the abstract submission process.

The Judging Panel is comprised of individuals selected by the SLAS Student Poster Award Judging Panel Chair and formally approved by the SLAS Awards and Grants Committee. These judges represent the various technologies and applications within the SLAS conference curriculum.

Judges may not have had, nor may they have had, any formal association with the candidate poster assigned to them for review. Judges must recuse themselves from evaluating any candidate where a relationship exists, such as family, business, financial, or other, e.g., academic, student/professional association. Judges must sign a conflict of interest certification form, ensuring no improper relationships exist. It is expected that any potential conflicts will be declared by the judges. The Student Poster Award Judging Panel Chair makes the final decision on any questionable issues.

Candidates for the award are asked to upload their poster online for review and judging by 30 March 2026. Presenters must meet the pre-screening submission deadline to be eligible for the award. The award Chair will assign each judge a pre-determined number of posters to view and judge using an online review site. 

The pre-conference panel of judges will narrow the field (based on scores submitted in accordance with the criteria below) to five (5) posters to compete for the award at SLAS Europe 2026. Each of the top five (5) authors will be notified of their standing prior to the start of the conference. 

In scoring the posters, the judges will consider the following: 

Virtual Judging (Pre-Conference Phase):

Poster Design:

• Is the poster content organized in a logical manner, such that the experimental problem, approach and results are easily understood?
   
• Is the poster layout/look/feel well done? Is there use of appropriate font sizes, readable graphics, suitable colors, etc?

Poster Content:

• Motivation/Background: Does the poster present sufficient context for the reader to understand the purpose and originality of the experiment or study, as well as the background and motivation for performing the experiment or interrogating the research?
   
• Approach: Does the poster present sufficient data and information for the reader to understand and judge the quality of the proposed solution/approach (tackling the problem mentioned in the motivation/background section)?
   
• Conclusion: Does the poster present sufficient information and data to support the conclusion of the poster? Does the poster’s conclusion mention potential future uses/applications or further developments of the proposed solution/approach?

The on-site panel of judges will view and score the top five (5) posters during the student poster session. The panel of judges will have a set amount of time to assess each poster presentation before moving on to the next poster. This will include a question-and-answer period. Presenters will be notified of the approximate time the judges will visit each poster and of the time constraints of the presentation.

Each of the top five (5) presenters is required to remain available for the duration of the poster session to be eligible for the award. Once the panel of judges has determined the three winners, the Student Poster Award Chair will notify the winners and provide details regarding award disbursement. 

Each candidate will be judged on the same criteria as listed below. In scoring the presentations, the judges will consider the following:

Onsite Judging:
 

• Timely Presentation: Did the presenter explain the key concept(s) of the poster within the time allowed?
   
• Content: Was the poster content presented clearly and concisely in a way that enhanced understanding of the written poster content (rather than just a verbatim reading of the poster itself)? Has the poster been changed since the original abstract and poster were submitted for consideration prior to the conference? If so, what were the changes and why?
   
• Questions and Answers: Did the presenter satisfactorily answer the judges' questions within the allotted time? Did the presenter understand the scope of the study?
   
• Overall Presentation: Was the presenter able to keep the judges’ attention during the presentation? Was the presentation easily understood? Did the presenter relay their enthusiasm for the scientific study (e.g., make eye contact with judges, speak to the group rather than face the poster, remain engaged throughout the presentation)? Did the presenter speak loud enough to be heard during the presentation?

• Candidates are encouraged to be dues-paying members of SLAS to participate in the contest and/or win the SLAS Student Poster Award; however, membership is not required.
   
• Candidates must be the primary author of a selected poster abstract and must present their research during SLAS Europe 2026.
   
• Candidates must be a student, graduate student, post-doctoral associate or junior faculty (less than four years in the first academic appointment.) SLAS Travel (Tony B.) Award winners presenting a poster will automatically be entered into the competition, but candidates are not required to have been selected for an SLAS Travel (Tony B.) Award to qualify for the SLAS Student Poster Award.
   
• The panel of judges will review only those poster presentations selected and slotted for the conference by the Annual Conference Program Committee and submitted online for pre-screening by the published deadline. All candidates must adhere to the SLAS Abstract Submission policies, timelines, rules and regulations¹.
   
• Individuals are limited to one award per research field. If a poster is submitted by the same individual again, the research needs to be greatly enhanced from the previous submitted posters.

The following individuals are not eligible to participate in the SLAS Student Poster Award program:

• SLAS Board of Directors and officers, the Scientific Program Committee*, contractors, SLAS employees, members of the Judging Panel and/or those considered to be "insiders."
   
• Candidates affiliated with anyone on the judging panel are permitted to participate, but the judge must recuse themselves from evaluating that particular candidate.
   
• Previous Student Poster Award winners.

*The Annual Conference Program Committee comprises a Chair, Associate Chair, Track Chairs and Associate Track Chairs. Session Chairs are not members of the Scientific Program Committee and, therefore, are eligible to participate.

¹Abstract Submission Policy
SLAS invites academicians, scientists and post-doctoral and graduate students to submit abstracts for poster presentations for this international educational forum. Presentations will be hand-picked by the SLAS Scientific Program Committee. Rules, regulations and guidelines are subject to change at the discretion of the SLAS Board of Directors in accordance with bylaws, policies and procedures.

The cash prizes will be awarded within a month after the conference.

The following rules apply:

• The candidate presentation author, co-author or a representative must be present to accept the award at the poster award ceremony (see full schedule). The cash prize is awarded solely to the winning presenting author.
   
• Prior to receiving the check, each winner will be required to fill out any appropriate tax forms.
   
• Winners have the option to decline the monetary award.
   
• The monetary award is not to be considered an obligation of SLAS.

Discrimination based on race, religion, gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, veteran’s status or disability in regard to the SLAS Student Poster Award is prohibited. Each candidate shall be evaluated based on the award's criteria, which are tied to the SLAS express purpose of advancing the science and education of technologies in the laboratory.