The prize is awarded to the student who is best able to communicate a science topic to their peers. The award may be split into two prizes (one for an oral and one for a poster presentation) at the discretion of the judging committee.

The award consists of a letter of commendation, a cash prize and the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Atlantic Student Research Journal (ASRJ) team to write and publish an article about the winner’s research.

Note on the ASRJ editorial process: The Science Atlantic team will connect the winner with the Editor-in-Chief at the ASRJ. One of the ASRJ team members will work with the winner and direct them along the article creation process. Articles typically include an introduction of the researcher and their field of study, a description of the research and a discussion relating to the importance of the research. Once the article has been approved it will be added to the ASRJ queue for publication. Once added, it can take between two weeks and two months to be published, depending on the current rate of article production.

Judging

Each conference organizing committee determines the judging committee membership. Some committees involve students, some have a ballot vote of all conference attendees, and some are professors in the discipline.

The judging committee has the right to not give an award in any competition. If there are fewer than three students eligible to compete for this award at any conference, the award may not be disbursed. The decision of the judges is final.