Research Poster Competition

2025 Research Poster Competition Overview 

The annual Research Poster Competition (RPC) showcases George Mason University graduate students’ original research and allows students to compete for awards based on the quality of their research and poster presentations. Poster presentations will be evaluated by a panel of qualified judges. The ultimate goals of the contest are to enrich and celebrate students’ groundbreaking research and contribute to the advancement of research across the university community. 

Competition Date & Information 

• Competition Date: 2026 Date will be announced in the Spring 2026. 

• Location: TBD for 2026 

• Event Time: TBD for 2026 

• Results: TBD for 2026 

Eligibility 

• All George Mason Graduate Students in any graduate degree or certificate program are eligible to participate.  

• The research presented must be original work from the presenting student.  

• The graduate student must be the primary researcher for their particular poster topic. 

• If relevant, the student must have permission from their project/research advisor(s) to publicly share their results. 

Registration for the Research Poster competition 

Registration for the 2026 Third Annual Research Poster Competition will open at the end of August 2026.

Prepare for Success 

All participants are highly encouraged to attend the Communication Academy workshops on poster design, abstract writing, and conference presentation tips. These free virtual workshops provide valuable skills to your academic journey and will give you the tools needed to develop a competitive edge in the Research Poster Competition! 

Further Information

For questions, contact Alyssa Bivins, Graduate Professional and Career Development Program Coordinator for the Graduate Division: abivins2@gmu.edu. 

• First Place: Gary Thomas Wilson, (Public Health, PhD; College of Public Health) with the poster entitled “Assessing Sexual and Gender Identity Interaction with the Relationship between Caregiving and Adverse Mental Health Outcomes” 

• Second Place: Tabitha King, (Environmental Science and Policy, College of Science) with the poster entitled “The Ecological and Human Health Risk of PFAS in the Potomac River” 

• Third Place: Feyza Koseoglu Darilmaz (Public Policy, PhD; Schar School of Public Policy) with the poster entitled “How Understanding Risk Patterns Can Shape Needs-Focused Supervision?” 

• People’s Choice: Jill Manuel (Higher Education, PhD; College of Education and Human Development) with the poster entitled “From Awareness to Action: Embedding Trauma-Informed Practices in Higher Education