Guidelines

 

Eligibility

student works taking notes with a plethora of sticky notes all around themUndergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled at any CSU campus and alumni/alumnae who received their degrees in winter, spring, summer or fall 2025, or winter 2026 are eligible. The research, scholarship, or creative activity presented should be appropriate to the student’s discipline and career goals. Proprietary research is excluded.

Each CSU campus appoints a campus coordinator and develops its own procedures for selecting student delegates to the systemwide competition. Only those students endorsed by the campus coordinator can enter the systemwide competition; see Process below.

Student projects completed with a faculty or staff member are welcome, as well as projects with multiple student authors.

 

Categories

Presentations from all disciplines are welcome. Depending on number of entrants, categories may be subdivided into undergraduate and graduate divisions. The San José State University steering committee reserves the right to combine or subdivide these categories, or to move an entrant from one category to another, as necessitated by submission numbers.

The 10 disciplinary categories are:

  • Behavioral, Social Sciences and Public Administration
  • Biological and Agricultural Sciences
  • Business, Economics and Hospitality Management
  • Creative Arts and Design (creative projects are welcome—see “Competition Guidelines”)
  • Education
  • Engineering and Computer Science
  • Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences
  • Humanities and Letters
  • Interdisciplinary
  • Physical and Mathematical Sciences

 

Process

Each California State University campus appoints a campus coordinator and develops its own procedures for selecting student delegates to the systemwide competition. Each CSU hosts its own internal competition in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 and selects up to 10 entries to represent their campus at the system wide competition.  Interested students should contact their campus coordinator for more information. Only those students endorsed by the campus coordinator can enter the systemwide competition.

➤ San José State University students, learn more about the SJSU competition here.

The campus coordinator will submit a list of students who have been selected for the system wide competition, along with their written summaries. The rules governing the written summary are as follows:

  • The summary must include the name(s) of the student(s) and the title of the presentation.
  • The written narrative should utilize a font size of 10 or above and have margins of at least 0.75”
  • Should be a minimum of one page and not exceed two pages in total (1-2 pages)
  • Appendices (bibliography, graphs, photographs or other supplementary materials) are optional, may not exceed three pages total, and should be delivered separately from the written narrative.
  • All research must comply with applicable policies and regulations. Research that involves human or animal subjects must have appropriate institutional review.

Presentations

student presents with computer in foreground and presentation screen in backStudents will present their work orally before a jury and an audience at the CSU-wide competition at San José State, April 23-25, 2026. Most presentations will take place on Friday, April 24. Presenters will have 10 minutes for an oral presentation of their work and five minutes to listen and respond to juror and audience questions (juror questions are asked first).

It is expected that a student will not make a presentation by simply reading directly from the written summary. For projects with 2+ students, it is recommend that oral presentations be made by no more than two students, with any additional group members, as relevant, responding to juror and audience questions. 

All entrants may use audiovisual materials as appropriate, and presenters are encouraged to use delivery techniques that promote interaction with the audience. The majority of student presentations will be accompanied by a slideshow/slide deck, but this is not a required element. Presenters wishing to use a slideshow for their presentation will be asked to use Google Slides for ease of access during the competition.

Entrants in the Creative Arts and Design category may present an audio and/or visual recording of a performance they have given or a work they have created; their oral presentation should focus on the rationale and historical context underlying their interpretation of the material. Live performances are also acceptable, within the 10 minute time limit.  Please be sure to note any extra room or technology requirements during registration.
 
Each entry (oral presentation plus written summary) will be judged on the following:

  • Clarity of purpose
  • Appropriateness of methodology
  • Interpretation of results
  • Value of the research, scholarship, or creative activity
  • Ability of the presenter to articulate the research, scholarship, or creative activity
  • Organization of the material presented
  • Presenter’s ability to address questions from the jury and general audience

 

Awards

students aim cell phones, taking pictures at celebrationBased on the recommendations of the jurors, monetary awards will be provided to the outstanding presenter and the runner-up in each category, and undergraduate/graduate subdivisions as approprate. If the undergraduate and graduate divisions of a category have been combined, awards will be provided to the outstanding presenter and the runner-up without regard to class standing. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday April 26, 2026 at the conclusion of the event; friends and family are welcome to attend.

Everyone attending the events, including guests and supporters, must register in advance.

 

Questions

Student questions should be directed to their local campus coordinator. Campus coordinators may contact csustudentresearchcomp2026@sjsu.edu with any questions.