International Poultry Welfare Alliance

Student Award of Excellence

Submission Deadline

Eligibility

• Open globally to undergraduate, graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.), and veterinary students enrolled at the time of submission at an accredited institution.
• The abstract must present original research relevant to poultry welfare. Research focus is not limited to behavior.
• The student must be the first author listed on the abstract and the only presenter of the research in the virtual presentation.
• Student’s major professor must also agree for their submission to be accepted.

Abstract Submission Guidelines

Abstract Format

• PDF with example graphics not to exceed 2 pages.
• 300-word/ 2500 character count maximum (excluding title and author information).
• Contact information or email from major professor approving application to be submitted to IPWA.
• Include:
  • Title
  • Author(s) and affiliations
  • Background
  • Objective(s)
  • Methods
  • Key results (may be preliminary)
  • Conclusion
  • 3–5 keywords

File Naming

Presentation Details

• Presentations will be delivered virtually on Poultry School Podcast. The presentation will be prerecorded and will be released before the 2026 Poultry Sustainability and Welfare Summit. The Summit is September 20-24th, 2026. These recordings will be publicly available.
• Each presentation is allotted 12 minutes, followed by 2 minutes for Q&A from the review panel.
• Students should be prepared to answer questions about the research via video conferencing during the video presentation recording session.
• Students will supply 4 dates and times to record sessions with Poultry School Podcast from March – May 2026. Students must respond and have scheduled by February 1. 2026.

Judging Criteria

• Relevance to poultry welfare - 10 points
• Scientific merit - 10 points
• Clarity and organization of the abstract - 10 points
• Quality of the abstract presentation - 10 points
• Quality of virtual presentation - 15 points
• Complies with Guidelines - 5 points

Awards

• The Student Award of Excellence winner will receive:
  • Recognition at the IPWA Annual Meeting
  • A feature in the IPWA newsletter and social media
  • Travel and lodging to the Summit to present their research on the student award panel
• 2nd and 3rd place will receive:
  • Recognition at the IPWA Annual Meeting
  • A feature in the IPWA newsletter and social media
  • The option to present on the student panel.
• Runner-up(s) may also receive honorable mentions and recognition on social media.
• Awards are up to the discretion of IPWA and can change without notice.

Timeline and Rubric

• November 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST - All submissions due
• February 1, 2026 - Students must respond and schedule virtual presentations to be included in the competition.
  • A five-person committee will review abstracts, score initially, submit questions to poultry school, and review and score virtual presentation.
• March 1, 2026 - Committee will submit questions for virtual presentation
• March 1 - May 30, 2026 - Recordings to be completed. Videos will be published at regular intervals until the Summit.
• July 1, 2026 - Award winner will be chosen by the committee
  • Travel and lodging will be provided for the winner. For 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place, travel may be provided if sponsorship for the program is obtained, or it can be optional for students to present at the summit. If any of the students ranked in the competition are unable or unwilling to travel, the next eligible student will be given the opportunity.