How to Apply
Applying is easy, since the award application is part of the abstract submission process. Submit your abstract and apply for an award at the same time before the abstract submission deadline (December 15, 2025.) To be eligible, when submitting your abstract, be sure to:
Submitting a Winning Entry
- Read and follow all eligibility requirements and guidelines below.
- Reference the abstract scoring rubric (new). See details below.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be a current (through 2026) Student, Postdoc, Early Career member of AAA (Join now!)
- Pay 2026 dues in full by December 15
- Be the first author on the abstract
- Attend Anatomy Connected to present your research
Guidelines
- Presenting authors may only designate one abstract for award consideration. If more than one abstract is put forward for the competition, only the first submission will be considered.
- Oral and poster presentations that are research focused (i.e., non-descriptive works) will be prioritized over descriptive works and given more consideration when selecting competition award finalists. While the submission of descriptive works is encouraged, please recognize that the evaluation of scientific and educational research presentations relies heavily on the tenets of the scientific process as a guide to compare and judge the quality of presentations.
- Applicants have the opportunity to compete for a platform or poster award within their academic level, in addition to receiving a Travel Award. Abstracts are pre-judged to determine finalists in each category.
- Only applications with confirmed abstracts will be considered.
- Awards are non-transferable and no substitution of first author/presenter is allowed.
- Recipients and competition finalists will be notified about eight weeks after the abstract deadline.
- Judges may withhold specific awards at their discretion.
- Competition Awards are presented at the Closing Awards Ceremony at the meeting. Only competitive award finalists will receive a complimentary ticket to the Awards Ceremony.
- Authors are not permitted to submit an abstract on previously published work unless the abstract represents further progression of the published research.
New: Abstract Scoring Rubric
To establish consistency and rigor in the abstract review process, we have developed an abstract scoring rubric.
The scoring rubric was devised in order to ensure high scientific
quality and importance, incorporate a rigorous scientific review
process, and maintain consistency across reviewers.
The scoring rubric will be used to score 1) all educational abstracts
and 2) all abstracts (educational and scientific) submitted to
Student/Postdoc Registration and Competition Awards. It is expected that
all applicants will review the scoring rubric in advance of submitting their abstract. In summary, abstracts will be scored in the following categories:
- Introduction (10 points) - The introduction strongly demonstrates that the literature has been thoroughly reviewed. The introduction is a clear, detailed, and concise overview of the problem. The knowledge gap is clearly stated. …that you have thoughtfully reviewed the literature and have developed an in-depth understanding of the field.
- Research Aim/Objective (5 points) - Based on the presented background and knowledge gap, a specific, clear, and testable research aim / objective is stated. ...exactly what your research project sought to accomplish.
- Materials and Methods (10 points) - The methods provide a strong, clear, organized explanation of the methodology. …exactly how you conducted your research, including (if appropriate) information about your sample, data collection process, and technique for data analysis.
- Results (10 points) - The results are clear and directly connected to the purpose of the study. The results strictly follow the presentation of the methods. The results provide data without interpretation. …a summary of the data that was collected and the results of the analyses conducted. Be sure not to interpret the data.
- Discussion (10 points) - The discussion is explicitly informed by / linked to the presented results. The discussion clearly contextualizes the work within the broader field. …the interpretation of your data, with an explanation of how your research fits within the broader context of the field.
- Significance and Implications (5 points) - The importance of the work is clearly communicated using a well-structured, logical argument, that is fully supported by the study results. …the impact of your research. Convince the reader, within the limits of your scope, that your work is important.
Up to 48 Students and Postdocs will be competing for poster and oral presentation awards in the following categories: Education Research, Graduate Student, Postdoc and Undergraduate Student. Below are the guidelines/tips and scoring rubric that the award judges will be following.
Presentation Guidelines for Platform Award Finalists
Presentation Guidelines for Poster Award Finalists