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Contests for Students

The IEEE offers many opportunities for students to win contests for outstanding performance in a variety of areas. Students, here you will be able to search for opportunities to receive recognition and prizes for your innovative thinking and hard work.

Sponsors, here you can have the opportunity to recognize some of the best and brightest young engineering minds while taking the opportunity to reinforce your organization’s dedication to the support of the next generation of IEEE leaders.

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IEEE AP-S Student Design Contest

Organizer: IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S)

Eligibility: The team should consist of 2 to 5 students, with at least 50% being undergraduate students. For a 5-year Bachelor-cumMaster degree program, students in years 1 to 3 are considered undergraduates. Each team should be advised by one professional mentor who is a member of the IEEE AP-S, but the work needs to be done primarily by the students. No student or mentor should be involved in more than one team.

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Lance Stafford Larson Paper Contest

Organizer: IEEE Computer Society

Description: Encourages students to develop excellence in their communication skills and achievement in the field of computer science.

Eligibility: All IEEE student members. There will be one award for undergraduates and a second for graduate students

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IEEE Women in Engineering Student Branch Affinity Group of the Year Award

Organizer: IEEE Women in Engineering

Description: The IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Student Branch Affinity Group of the Year Awards are given annually to one IEEE WIE Student Branch Affinity Group and one IEEE WIE Student Affinity Group that have shown outstanding leadership and initiative in organizing activities.

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IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group of the Year Award

Organizer: IEEE WIE

Description: The IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group of the Year Award is given annually to one IEEE WIE Affinity Group that has shown outstanding leadership and initiative in organizing activities. The award is based on programs that took place during the period of 1 January to 31 December of the preceding year.

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IEEE Women in Engineering Inspiring Student Member of the Year Award

Organizer: IEEE Women in Engineering

Description: The purpose of this award is to recognize an undergraduate/graduate student member of IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) who has overcome barriers to pursue engineering and/or who has made a personal impact in their community through their dedication and involvement in projects or activities directed toward fulfilling one or more of the IEEE WIE goals and objectives.

Eligibility: An IEEE Student Member or Graduate Student Member as of the submission deadline
A member of IEEE WIE for at least two consecutive (2) years
Must not be a past recipient of the IEEE Women in Engineering Inspiring Student Member of the Year Award

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IEEE Women in Engineering Inspiring Member of the Year Award

Organizer: IEEE WIE

Description: The purpose of this award is to recognize a professional member of IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) who has made an outstanding contribution to IEEE WIE, their community, and the engineering community, through their dedication and involvement in projects or activities directed toward fulfilling one or more of the IEEE WIE goals and objectives.

Eligibility: An IEEE Member grade or higher
A professional member of IEEE WIE for at least two (2) years
A professional working in industry/academia for greater than five (5) years
Must not be a past recipient of the IEEE Women in Engineering Inspiring Member of the Year Award

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Exemplary Student Affinity Group Award

Organizer: Region 9 SAC

Description: Exemplary Student Affinity Group will be considered those who demonstrate that they have good management of the institution’s internal and external resources and, mainly, effectively promote the theme of their affinity group through projects and activities. In addition, groups must have quality documentation, which can be used for the continuity of the group’s culture and dissemination of knowledge of good practices and ideas.

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International Future Energy Challenge College Student Competition

Organizer: IEEE Power Electronics Society

Description: The International Future Energy Challenge (IFEC) is a bi-annual international student competition for innovation, conservation, and effective use of electrical energy. It began in 2001 when IEEE partnered with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), U.S. Departments of Defense (DOD) and Energy (DOE), and other sponsors.

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Singapore AUV Challenge

Description: Autonomous underwater robotics is an exciting challenge in engineering, which participants get to experience at SAUVC. The competition is great learning ground for participants to experience the challenges of AUV system engineering and develop skills in the related fields of mechanical, electrical and software engineering.

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NPSS Student Paper Award

Organizer: The IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS)

Description: Most NPSS conference present an Award for the Outstanding Student Paper presented at that conference. For information on the submission instructions, forms, and application deadlines for these Awards, please contact the General Chairman of the relevant Conference.

In addition, NPSS-sponsored Conferences that have Short Courses solicit nominations for Paul Phelps Continuing Education Grants. These grants are intended either for tuition in NPSS Sponsored Short Courses or for partial or total travel expenses to attend NPSS Short Courses. These grants are available for outstanding Student Members of NPSS and unemployed members of NPSS who need assistance in changing career directions.

There are also Jordanov Travel Grants which provide support for travel expenses for the Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference. These grants are offered to graduate students or individuals who have obtained their highest degree less than five years prior to the start of the NSS/MIC in a given year.

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MTT-Sat Challenge

Organizer: The IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society

Description: The MTT-Sat Challenge is a worldwide competition for teams of undergraduate and graduate students to design and build radio frequency (RF) and microwave hardware for small satellites. The most promising designs will undergo space environmental qualification testing and will be incorporated in a cubesat, which will be launched into orbit (in case MTT-Sat Challenge secures enough funding and a participation in cubesat projects). The main goal of the MTT-Sat Challenge is to advance space RF and microwave education, inspire students to pursue science and engineering education and careers, and prepare tomorrow’s leaders with the interdisciplinary teamwork skills, which are necessary for success. The MTT-Sat Challenge is managed by the IEEE Microwave Theory & Techniques Society (IEEE MTT-S) with additional experts and advisors in the field.

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IMS Student Design Competitions

Organizer: sponsored by the Technical Committees of the Microwave Theory and Technology Society

Description: The competition encourages students to employ creative problem solving and gain practical design experience by developing a circuit, or system to address a problem stated in the competition rules while following specified constraints. The students will bring their designs to the competition where they perform measurements and compete against other student teams. We have different competitions spanning a wide range of topics from power amplifier design to antenna design. Links to descriptions and rules for each competition are below. Winning teams are awarded cash prizes, recognized at the IMS student luncheon awards, and a chance to publish their designs in the IEEE Microwave Magazine.

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IES Student Best Paper Award

Organizer: Industrial Electronics Society Awards and Honor Committee (IES A&H Committee).

Description: To recognize the student best paper in the Industrial Electronics Society publications or conferences, and to encourage the student or graduate student author to contribute further to the field of industrial electronics.

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IEEE GRSS Student Paper Competition

Organizer: IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society

Description: The GRSS Student Prize Paper Award was established to recognize the best student paper(s) presented at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). It is believed that early recognition of an outstanding paper will encourage the student to strive for greater and continued contributions to the Geoscience and Remote Sensing profession. The award shall be considered annually. These awards go to the 2nd and 3rd place students. For the 1st place student award refer to the Mikio Takagi Student Prize.

Eligibility: The (first) author(s) must:

  • contribute more than 60% of the content of the presented paper (if the contribution is less than 60%, the paper is not suitable for a student paper competition and can be submitted to the normal track),
  • be a student,
  • be under 33 years of age,
  • be a candidate for a graduate degree (PhD students included),
  • be an IEEE member,
  • publish the paper in the IGARSS digest,
  • be registered at IGARSS,
  • personally present the paper at IGARSS, and
  • be present at the IGARSS banquet to receive the award

Multiple eligible authors are allowed. An ineligible co-author, or an advisor, must verify on university letterhead that the candidate is a student, under 33 years of age, a candidate for a graduate degree, and an IEEE member on the submittal date of the paper. Eligibility and Selection process shall comply with procedures and regulation established in IEEE and Society governing documents, particularly with IEEE Policy 4.4 on Awards Limitations.

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Motor Vehicle Challenge

Organizer: IEEE Vehicular Technology Society

Description: IEEE VTS Motor Vehicles Challenge is an annual activity that has been organized in cooperation with the IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC) since 2017.

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Radar Challenge

Organizer: IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society

Description: The Radar Challenge is a series of events co-hosted with radar conferences that enable participants to experience the magic of radar in a personal, tangible and experiential way. ​The events invigorate participants to experiment with their self-engineered “home-brew” radar, low-cost commercial-off-the-shelf RF sensors, and publicly available radar datasets. The goal is to build a community of radar engineers that collectively explore the art of the possible for a new generation of radars by creating and experimenting with prototype radars.

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IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Competitions

Organiser: IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

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IEEE R10 Student Research Paper Contest

Organizer: Region 10 SAC

Description: The IEEE Region 10 Student Activities Committee recognizes the importance of research and dissemination of the findings for the The IEEE Region 10 Student Activities Committee recognizes the importance of research and dissemination of the findings for the advancement of science and technology. Researching, writing, and presenting a paper provides students with invaluable early experience in communicating ideas related to their professional fields. The contest offers IEEE Student members an opportunity to exercise and improve both written and verbal communication skills.

Eligibility: Open to all IEEE Student Members with basic degrees in electrical engineering, electronics, computer science or any other fields of interest of an IEEE Society, and are currently enrolled in a postgraduate course at a recognized educational institute. The contest is open only to IEEE Student Members in Region 10. The papers may be on any engineering subject in the field of interest of IEEE (within the scope of IEEE transactions).

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IEEE Region 8 Student Paper Contest

Organizer: Region 8

Description: The IEEE Region 8 Student Paper Contest (SPC) started in 1967, only four years after IEEE R8 was formed. The SPC was an initiative of the second R8 Director, Jean Lebel. The first SPC was held in Lausanne, Switzerland in conjunction with the IEEE R8 Committee Meeting. Since then, it has been held every year without exception, and it is one of the main technical activities in Region 8. By organizing the Student Paper Contest, the IEEE Region 8 Student Activities Committee recognizes the importance of student research and the dissemination of their results and findings.

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IEEE Computer Society Lance Stafford Larson Paper Contest

Organizer: IEEE Computer Society

Description: In 1983, the Lance Stafford Larson Award was established by the Larson family in memorial for their son, who died in an electrical accident while an undergraduate at the University of Maryland. The Larson family, which includes IEEE Past President Robert Larson, created this award to encourage students to develop excellence in their communication skills and to motivate students toward achievement in the field of Computer Science.

One award of $500 is given each year to the first-place winner. First, second, and third place winners also receive a certificate of commendation. The prize is awarded to the best paper. In the case of multiple authors, the prize will be divided among the student authors.

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IAS Chapter Awards and Contests

Organizer: IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS)
Eligibility: Open for all

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The Norman Miller Student Poster Competition

Organizer: IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society

Description: The OCEANS Student Poster Competition offers an opportunity for students to travel to an OCEANS conference to present their research, expenses paid. There are two OCEANS conferences held each year and each conference hosts a Student Poster Competition. During each competition 20 – 22 students (depending on available funding) are selected for the prestigious program. Students from colleges and universities around the world are eligible to compete.

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IEEE Signal Processing Cup

Organizer: IEEE Signal Processing Society

Description: The Signal Processing Cup (SP Cup) competition is held annually and encourages teams of students to work together to solve real-world problems using signal processing methods and techniques. Each year, three final teams are chosen to present their work during ICASSP to compete for the US$5,000 grand prize!

Eligibility: Each team participating should be composed of one faculty member or someone with a PhD degree employed by the university (the Supervisor), at most one graduate student (the Tutor), and at least three, but no more than ten undergraduate students. At least three of the undergraduate team members must hold either regular or student memberships of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. Undergraduate students who are in the first two years of their college studies, as well as high school students who are capable to contribute are welcome to participate in a team. A participant cannot be on more than one team.

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CASS Student Design Competition

Organiser : IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CAS)

Description: The CASS Student Design Competition is a worldwide competition where undergraduate students will team with high school students. The teams should suggest and execute projects aimed at encouraging High School Students to study Electrical Engineering and related areas. The focus should be on finding a solution to a real-life problem based on circuits and systems.

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IEEE ComSoc Student Competition

Organizer: IEEE Communications Society

Description: The Communication Technology Changing the World Student Competition recognizes students, or teams of students, who demonstrate the ability to improve people’s lives through the application of communication technology, to the development of projects displaying potential to contribute to a better future.

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IEEEXtreme

Organizer:MGA Student Activities Committee

Description:IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of IEEE Student members – advised and proctored by an IEEE member, and often supported by an IEEE Student Branch – compete in a 24-hour time span against each other to solve a set of programming problems.

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