Contests & Awards

Graduate Student Poster Competition
The annual Graduate Poster Competition recognizes excellence in science and its presentation by early-career researchers.

ELIGIBILITY
All Master's and PhD students working in fields relevant to ArcticNet’s thematic areas (ecosystems, well-being, infrastructures, energy, economy) are eligible to enter. Applicants are not required to be on a project currently funded by ArcticNet.

HOW TO APPLY
To enter, interested applicants must submit their poster abstract to the Call for Abstracts. There is a limit of one poster per applicant.
Applicants will be notified if their submission is accepted in October 2026. A final version of the poster (in JPEG, PNG or PDF format) must be submitted by December 4, 2026. Instructions for the final version submission will be sent out later on.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
A panel of judges will evaluate eligible posters during the poster sessions according to the following predefined criteria:

• Accessibility: Content is clear, easy to understand, and appropriate for a general audience.

• Purpose and Objectives: The research question and objectives are clearly stated and demonstrate relevance to the North.

• Methodology and Results/Outcomes: The methodology is clearly explained, and the results or expected outcomes are presented effectively.

• Conclusions and Future Directions: The conclusions are well supported, the broader significance of the research is explained, and future research directions and contributions to knowledge are identified.

• Poster Design and Visual Appeal: The poster is visually attractive, professionally presented, and engaging.

• Organization of Information: Information is logically organized with clear headings, coherent links between sections and visual elements, and concise, well-structured content.

• Quality of Visual Elements: Tables, graphs, figures, and images are used effectively, with appropriate font sizes and readable formatting.

• Quality of Written Language: The text is clear, accurate, and free of grammatical or spelling errors.

POSTER SESSIONS
Poster sessions will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, and Wednesday, December 9.
Each accepted poster will be assigned to one of the two poster sessions. Authors will be notified of their assigned presentation evening at the start of the conference. Until then, presenters should plan to be available on both evenings.

AWARDS
Posters will be judged in three categories: Social and Health Sciences, Marine Sciences, and Terrestrial Sciences. First-, second-, and third-place prizes will be awarded in each category, with cash prizes of $800, $600, and $400, respectively.
A $300 People's Choice Award will also be presented.
The winners will be announced during the Awards Ceremony on Thursday afternoon.

ArcticNet Student Association x APECS Canada Mentorship Award

ELIGIBILITY
To be considered, all mentors must be nominated by current/former students, peers, and/or colleagues. Self-nomination will not be accepted.​

To nominate a mentor, you must provide a letter that includes:

• The mentor's name and position.

• A description of how the mentor has fostered early career polar researchers (max 1000 words).

• The mentor's curriculum vitae/resumé.

Each nomination letter must be supported by at least 3 other letters of support (max 500 words).

HOW TO APPLY
To enter, interested applicants must submit their nomination through the ASA-APECS Mentor Award Nomination Form. 

EVALUATION CRITERIA
A deliberation committee consisting of members of the ASA and APECS Canada will evaluate nomination packages according to the following criteria: 

• Meaningful engagement with early career researchers;

• Originality and variety of mentoring approaches;

• Impact of mentorship;

• Variety of mentees supported;

• Engagement with northern communities.

AWARDS
The winners will be announced during the Awards Ceremony on Thursday afternoon!