PhD Summer Showcase
PhD Summer Showcase 2022 | Thursday 14 July 2022 | 11:00-16:00 | South Kensington Campus
This annual event is organised by the Graduate School to celebrate the research being carried out by our PhD students.
The challenge for this year's competition is for students to communicate their research to a lay audience via a three minute presentation. This will be assessed across two stages – firstly a video presentation to be submitted in advance, and then at our face-to-face presentation showcase event.
Our team of official judges will be assessing each video presentation for its visual impact and content as well as the ability of the presenter to explain their research in a way that can be shared with the general public. Then at the face-to-face showcase event, competitors will be given the chance to top up their public engagement score as the judges assess their presentation pitches in person.
Competition info
Eligibility & Competition Rules
- The competition is open to all current Imperial College PhD students.
- There are two mandatory stages to the competition – a three minute video presentation to be submitted in advance and then a face-to-face presentation event on Thursday 14 July 2022.
Stage 1 - Video Presentation
Entrants are required to communicate their research to a lay audience via a three minute video presentation with voice-over narration.
- Entrants are encouraged to use images, animations and other visual effects in their video presentation; however, no music is allowed.
- All entries will be uploaded to the Graduate School's YouTube Channel and will be available for public viewing for the duration of the People's Choice vote.
- All video presentation entries will be assessed by our judging team against the following categories: 'Visual Impact', 'Content' and 'Public Engagement' (see below for more detailed criteria)
Stage 2 - Face-to-Face Presentation Event
Entrants are also required to present their research at our face-to-face exhibition event on Thursday 14 July 2022 in the Queen’s Tower Rooms, Sherfield Building.
- All entrants will be allocated a 100cm wide x 100cm high poster board.
- Entrants can use their poster board to display anything that will assist them in communicating their research. This could be a research poster, a selection of images/artwork or any other visual aids; feel free to be creative!
- Entrants will be responsible for displaying their visual aids on their poster boards (the boards are material covered so Velcro tabs will be provided).
- All entrants will be assessed by a selection of judges which will include Imperial staff and students (full details to be confirmed).
- Entrants will be asked to present their research individually to each judge; the pitch must not exceed three minutes and must be aimed at a layperson.
- Entrants will be judged solely on how well they communicate their research and in particular their ability to explain it in a way that can be shared with the general public (see the 'public engagement' category in the below judging criteria)
- Entrants will be allocated to one of two judging slots: Morning: 11:00-12:00 or Afternoon: 13:30-14:30.
All competitors should also be available to attend the prize giving ceremony in the Queen’s Tower Rooms between 15:30-16:00.
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place based on the judges scores. There will also be a People's Choice Prize which will be voted for by the College community in the week leading up to the showcase event and on the day.
Judging Criteria
Video Presentations will be judged on the three categories below. The face-to-face presentations will only be judged against the Public Engagement category.
| Category | Considerations | Maximum Score |
|---|---|---|
|
VISUAL IMPACT (Video presentation only) |
|
5 pts |
|
CONTENT (Video presentation only) |
|
5 pts |
|
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT (Video presentation & face-to-face presentation) |
|
10 pts |
How to Apply
- In order to enter the competition, please complete the following form to reserve your place.
- We will be allocating 80 places on a first come first served basis; a waiting list will be set up for any additional interest.
- If you are successful in being allocated a place, then you will be asked to submit your video presentation as an MP4 video file by no later than 10am on Monday 20 June 2022 (**DEADLINE EXTENDED**)
- Entrants will also be asked to provide a short biography (max 250 words) which will be used to accompany their video description on YouTube.
Prize Information
The following prizes will be awarded:
- 1st Prize - £500
- 2nd Prize - £250
- 3rd Prize - £150
- People's Choice - £100
The winners will be informed at the prize giving ceremony on Thursday 14 July 2022.
Volunteer to be a judge!
The Graduate School would like to invite all students and staff to join our official judging team!
There are two ways that you can get involved as a judge – you can judge the three minute video presentations, or you can come along to the face-to-face event on Thursday 14 July 2022 and assess the student’s three minute presentation pitches in person. Or you can opt to be a judge for both aspects of competition!
- Video Presentation Judging Information
Judges will be allocated approximately five 3-minute video presentations to assess against the following categories: 'Visual Impact', 'Content' and 'Public Engagement'. Each presentation will be accessible on YouTube from Monday 27 June 2022 and judges will have one week to watch & assess their allocated entries.
- Face-to-Face Presentation Event (Thursday 14 July 2022)
Judges will be allocated approximately four presenters to visit and assess their 3-minute presentation pitches against the 'Public Engagement' category. There are two judging time slots to pick from: Morning (11.00–12.00) or Afternoon (13:30-14.30).
This is a fantastic opportunity to hear more about the sorts of research taking place across the College. Please contact Sarah Faux if you would like to volunteer or find out more - all students and staff are welcome!