SLAS Student Poster Award

Abstract Submission Deadline — Monday, September 15

Finalist Announcement: January 2026

Student Poster Judging during SLAS2026

Many candidates for the award are chosen to present during SLAS2026 as part of the SLAS Travel Award Program. The selection of the SLAS Travel Award recipients is based on several factors and is overseen by the SLAS Awards and Grants Committee. Candidates need not be SLAS Travel 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 SLAS2026 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 or have had any formal association with the candidate poster assigned to them for review. Judges must recuse themselves from evaluating any candidate wherein there exists a relationship 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 are 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 posters online for review and judging by Monday, November 10. Presenters must meet the pre-screening submission deadline in order to be eligible for the award. The Judging Panel 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 as per the criteria below) to five (5) posters to compete for the award during SLAS2026. 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:

Pre-Conference Phase

Poster Design:

• Organization: Is the poster content organized in a logical manner, such that experimental problem, approach and results are easily understood?
• Layout: Is the poster layout, look and feel well done? Does the presenter use appropriate font sizes, readable graphics, suitable colors?

Poster Content:

• Motivation/Background: Does the poster present sufficient context for the reader to understand the purpose and originality of the experiment as well as the background and motivation for performing the experiment?
• Approach: Does the poster present sufficient data on the experimental methods used for the reader to understand and judge the quality of the approach?
• Discussion: Does the poster demonstrate an understanding of the selected methods and technologies in the context of the state-of-the-art? The presenter should provide appropriate statistics.
• Conclusion: Does the poster present sufficient information and data to support the conclusion of the poster?

The panel of judges will view and score the top five (5) posters at SLAS2026. The panel of judges will have a set amount of time to access 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 in order 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:

Poster Presentation

• 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.)
• Questions and answers: Did the presenter satisfactorily answer questions from the judges within the time allowed?
• Overall presentation: Was the presenter able to keep the judges' attention during the presentation and was the presentation easily understood? Did the presenter show an appropriate level of enthusiasm for the research?
• Please note Student Poster presentations must be presented in English.

• 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 SLAS2026.
• Candidates must be a student, graduate student, post-doctoral associate or junior faculty (less than four years in the first academic appointment.) SLAS Travel 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 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 International Conference 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.

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 him or herself from evaluating that particular candidate.
• Previous Student Poster Award winners.

*The International 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 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.