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ASB RESEARCH & PRESENTATION AWARDS

ASB Research and Presentation Awards recognize excellent research presented at the ASB Annual Meeting. 

ASB Research Awards
 ASB Student Research Award ($1000)  Sponsored by Martin Microscopes​
The ASB Student Research Award is presented to a student member for outstanding research. A written manuscript or publication (published after the previous ASB annual meeting, but not prior) and an oral presentation at the annual meeting are required. Applicant must be a graduate or undergraduate student at the time of presentation, or graduated within 6 months prior to the presentation.
eligibility
Each applicant must fulfill all the requirements listed below:
  • Applicant must be a graduate or undergraduate student at the time of presentation, or graduated within 6 months prior to the presentation.
  • The applicant must be the primary or senior author on a manuscript published after the previous ASB annual meeting, but not prior. 
  • Applicant must be a current member of the ASB
  • Applicant must present the research at the Annual Meeting
  • Application must be submitted prior to the deadline (see ASB Calendar)
  • Applications can be submitted prior to receiving an abstract acceptance letter
  • The winner of this award receives a plaque at the Closing Banquet, so your presence is greatly appreciated. 
requirements
Your Application must include:
  • ​An abstract in the same format as submitted for the ASB call for papers, including author names, titles, and contact information
  • An electronic copy of a journal-ready manuscript or publication (in press, or published after the previous ASB annual meeting, but not prior)
  • A biographical sketch of the applicant. In the case of multi-author papers (>2) the biographical sketch should include a statement summarizing the applicant’s specific contributions to the paper. 
Evaluation 
​Judges will evaluate the manuscripts based on significance of ideas, soundness of hypotheses, originality, methodology, validity of results, soundness of conclusions, clarity, completeness, organization, and contribution to the field. At the discretion of the Student Research Award Committee, the award may be withheld or it may be split in the case of a tie. 
Apply for the ASB Student Research Award
ASB Professional Research Award ($1000)  ​
The ASB Professional Research Award is presented to an ASB professional member (students are not eligible for this award) for outstanding research. Both original research and review papers will be considered. A written manuscript or publication and an oral presentation at the annual meeting are required. The manuscript must be completed after the previous ASB annual meeting, but not prior. The presentation must be given at either the previous or upcoming annual meeting
Eligibility
Each applicant must fulfill all the requirements listed below:
  • Applicant must be an ASB professional member at the time of presentation (not a graduate or undergraduate student)
  • The applicant must be the primary or senior author on a manuscript published after the previous ASB annual meeting, but not prior. ​
  • Applicant must be a current member of the ASB
  • Applicant must present the research at the Annual Meeting
  • Application must be submitted prior to the deadline (see ASB Calendar)
  • Applications can be submitted prior to receiving an abstract acceptance letter
  • The winner of this award receives a plaque at the Closing Banquet, so your presence is greatly appreciated. 
requirements
Your Application must include:
  • ​An abstract in the same format as submitted for the ASB call for papers, including author names, titles, and contact information
  • An electronic copy of a journal-ready manuscript or publication (in press, or published after the previous ASB annual meeting, but not prior)
  • A biographical sketch of the applicant. In the case of multi-author papers (>2) the biographical sketch should include a statement summarizing the applicant’s specific contributions to the paper. 
Evaluation
Effective communication (Original research and reviews; 25%)                                                                     
  • Organization and logical flow
  • Clarity of meaning and readability

Content: Scientific merit (Original research; 75%)          
  • Significance and originality of ideas
  • Objectives and/or hypotheses and/or rationale clearly stated
  • Methodology described concisely yet completely
  • Suitable analytical or computational tools employed             
  • Results presented clearly, soundness of conclusions
  • Discussion builds on the results to extend the science
  • Contribution to the field - broader impact of the research presented

Content: Scientific merit (Reviews; 75%) 
  • Significance and originality of ideas
  • In-depth analysis of content
  • Excellent summary – demonstrates thorough understanding of field
  • Suitable analytical or computational tools employed             
  • Soundness of conclusions
  • Contribution to the field - broader impact of the research presented
 
At the discretion of the ASB Research Award Committee, the award may be withheld, or it may be split in the case of a tie. 
Apply for the ASB Professional Research Award

ASB Presentation Awards

ASB Presentation Awards are presented to students who give an outstanding presentation at the annual meeting. Both an Oral Presentation Award and a Poster Presentation Award are given for each of several categories designed to reflect the breadth of biological disciplines at ASB. One award of $300 will be made in each of the categories at the closing banquet at the annual meeting. ​
Categories of Oral and Poster Presentation Awards:
  • ​Cell and Molecular Biology
  • Aquatic Biology
  • Animal Biology
  • Herpetology (in memory of Dr. Floyd Scott)
  • Microbiology
eligibility
Each applicant must fulfill all the requirements listed below:
  • Applicant must be a graduate or undergraduate student at the time of presentation, or graduated within 6 months prior to the presentation.
  • Applicant must be a current member of the ASB
  • Applicant must present at the Annual Meeting
  • ​All winners of these awards are announced at the Closing Banquet, so your presence is greatly appreciated. 
Requirements
Your Application must include:
  • ​An abstract submitted during the ASB call for papers, including author names, titles, and contact information
  • Select the intended award during abstract submission. You must select no more than one category to be considered for an award.
  • A 100-word justification describing why your work fits the category selected
  • An ePoster submitted before the week of the meeting (see acceptance letter for further instructions)
  • An outstanding presentation at the Annual Meeting
Evaluation
Each presentation is judged by 2 or more volunteer judges at the meeting. Be prepared to answer questions during or after your presentation. Presenters of posters might need to stick around beyond the typical poster session to allow all judges time to visit all posters. 
Applications are made during the abstract submission process (See the meeting page call for abstracts). When submitting an abstract, applicants select one category for which to be evaluated and provide a small justification.

AFFILIATE RESEARCH & PRESENTATION AWARDS

The following awards are presented to students with outstanding presentations given at the annual meeting. These awards are sponsored by ASB Affiliates (listed alphabetically below) and are subject to the rules and requirements of each affiliate association.  
Applications are made during the abstract submission process (See the meeting page call for abstracts). When submitting an abstract, applicants select each award for which they intend to be evaluated.
Eligibility
Eligibility varies according the affiliate association presenting the award, but in general:
  • Applicant must be a graduate or undergraduate student at the time of presentation, or graduated within 6 months prior to the presentation.
  • Membership to the affiliate association may be required
  • Applicant must present at the Annual Meeting of the ASB
  • ​All winners of these awards are announced at the Closing Banquet, so your presence is greatly appreciated. 
requirements
Your Application must include:
  • ​An abstract submitted during the ASB call for papers, including author names, titles, and contact information
  • Select the intended award during abstract submission
  • A 100-word justification describing why your work fits the category selected
  • An ePoster submitted before the week of the meeting (see acceptance letter for further instructions)
  • An outstanding presentation at the Annual Meeting
Evaluation
Each presentation is judged by 2 or more volunteer judges at the meeting. Be prepared to answer questions during or after your presentation. Presenters of posters might need to stick around beyond the typical poster session to allow all judges time to visit all posters. ​
North Carolina Botanical Garden Award ($300) 
Presented to a member for an outstanding presentation that best advances our understanding of the biology and conservation of southeastern plants and/or their ecosystems.
Southeast Chapter of the Ecological Society of America
Presented to students giving outstanding presentations in the field of ecological research. Students may apply for only one of the two SE ESA awards (Odum or Quarterman-Keever) but not both. Students should make sure that their research is complete and of sufficient depth to qualify for these awards. Abstracts failing to meet these requirements will not be considered.
  • ​​Eugene P. Odum Award ($500) for outstanding oral presentation
  • ​Elsie Quarterman-Catherine Keever Award ($500) for outstanding poster presentation
Southern Appalachian Botanical Society
The Southern Appalachian Botanical Society (SABS) presents several awards in recognition of outstanding research or contributions to Appalachian botany.

  • Rebecca Cook Travel Award for Botanical Professionals - We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Rebecca Cook Travel Award for Botanical Professionals. We honor Rebecca’s long-time commitment to the Society and to the broader botanical community here in the southeastern US. This award defrays expenses for Professional Members of SABS attending the annual meeting of ASB. Preference will be given to early career professionals (e.g., Post- Doctoral Associates, pre-tenure faculty, or other professionals with less than five years of service in their current position). Applicants should demonstrate a need for support and must clearly indicate other existing or anticipated sources of funding. While presentations at ASB are not required for eligibility, the awardees are expected to attend the SABS Business Meeting and the SABS/BSA student social that take place during the ASB conference. Matt Estep ([email protected]) will provide an application form at a later date and will serve as contact for this award. Deadline for application is Wednesday, 14 January 2026. Awardees will be notified prior to close of early bird registration (25 February 2026).

  • ​Richard and Minnie Windler Award-This Award is designated for the best systematics paper published during the preceding year within our journal Castanea.  It was established by Dr. Don Windler as a memorial to his parents. The first award was presented to Martha Carolina Easley and Walter S. Judd for their article published in volume 55 of Castanea (1990).  In 2014 a second award for best ecology paper was added. For further details, visit https://sabs.us/richard-and-minnie-windler-award/​
 
  • Earl Core Student Research Award ($2000)- Presented annually to support student research projects (graduate and undergraduate) in plant taxonomy, systematics, and ecology. Award criteria and the application form may be found at sabs.us/awards.  Deadline for applications: February 12
​
  • Outstanding Student Oral Presentation Award ($500)- Presented annually to a student with the best oral presentation on research in the field of botany/plant science. *Students may apply for one or the other award (Oral or Poster Presentation) from SABS, but not both. Apply when you submit your presentation abstract for the ASB meeting.
​
  • Outstanding Student Poster Presentation Award ($500)- Presented annually to a student with the best poster presentation on research in the field of botany/plant science. *Students may apply for one or the other award (Oral or Poster Presentation) from SABS, but not both. Apply when you submit your presentation abstract for the ASB meeting.​
Southeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America 
​The Southeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America (SE BSA) awards students with the best oral presentation and poster presentation in the field of botany/plant science. Students may apply for one or the other award (Oral or Poster Presentation) from SE BSA, but not both. Learn more about SE BSA awards.
  • Outstanding Student Oral Presentation Award
  • Outstanding Student Poster Presentation Award

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Photo from Andy Morffew