Poster Competition Timeline
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March 18 & 25, 2026
Preparation workshops.
Time/place: 5-6 p.m. in Hollister B14
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April 7, 2026
Submissions portal for poster prizes opens. Watch this website for the portal to open!
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April 15, 2026
Completed submissions for prizes due by 5 p.m. Eastern DST (deadline will not be extended).
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April 22, 2026
Awards will be announced at the Undergraduate Engineering Research Poster Competition, Duffield Hall Atrium
About the Awards
The Engineering Communications Program and the Office of Inclusive Excellence are excited to announce several award opportunities for students participating in this year’s Undergraduate Engineering Research Poster Competition poster event. Applications for these awards will be available to all qualifying students who are affiliated in a major offered by Duffield Engineering.
Both award categories recognize the specialized format of the scientific poster as an important form of communication within engineering, scientific, and technical fields. For this event, poster presentations are the medium, showcasing for the larger Cornell community how undergraduate research and experience are conduits to breakthroughs, creative problem solving, and community engagement.
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Judging Criteria
These prizes will be awarded on the basis of the poster alone. For both categories of awards, the judging criteria will be the same.
The Engineering CUP Prize is open to all undergraduate engineering students currently registered for credits via Duffield Engineering.
The Whitney Prize is slightly more restrictive in that awards can only be given to students in Duffield Engineering that have also been enrolled in an ENGRC course in the current academic year.
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Individual or Team
For award considerations, a poster may be submitted by an individual or a team. However, any award payouts will only be provided to engineering students, per the award charters.
If a team submits a poster and wins, all prize monies will be divided equally between the engineering undergraduates on that team.
How to Apply for Undergraduate Engineering Research Poster Competition 2026 Prizes
An application website and portal will be open from approximately April 7, 2026 to April 15, 2026.
The website will outline criteria and judging rubrics. The application portal will provide a secure way to upload poster files for consideration while also collecting vital contact information from students.
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Engineering Communications CUP Prize
Sponsored by the Engineering Communications Program, this prize category is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate Engineering students; students are not required to have been enrolled in an ENGRC course for this prize.
$1000 – First Place prize.
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The Douglas Whitney Prize for Engineering Communications
This prize category is in honor of Douglas Whitney ’61, and it is restricted to all undergraduate Engineering students who have enrolled in an ENGRC course in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026.
- $1000 – First Place prize
- $750 – Second Place prize
- $250 – Possible honorable mentions
Announcement of Awards
Awards will be announced at the Undergraduate Engineering Research Poster Competition on April 22, 2026. After winners are announced, the Engineering Communications Program will be in touch with students on how to provide prizes to individuals.
