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Objective
SPE coordinates 14 regional student paper contests at the Undergraduate, Master's, and PhD level. Students compete against other students from their region for the opportunity to advance to the International Student Paper Contest, held during the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE).
The following role is available for volunteers for the Eastern/Mid-Continent NA Contest:
- Judges (Masters and PhD division)
- Judges will need to be available virtually the day of the contest, Saturday 10 May 2025. There will be an hour call the week of the 12th to determine then announce the winners.
- Judges will need to read the full papers of their division prior to the contest.
We are currently seeking a minimum of six judges to meet the minimum requirements needed to run the program.
Competition Overview
The Eastern/Mid-Continent North America Regional Student Paper Contest is organized to provide SPE Student Members residing in these regions the opportunity to present original ideas pertaining to the Petroleum Industry. The competition is open to any SPE Student Member in the regions.
Students will compete in three divisions: Undergraduate, Masters, and PhD. There must be a minimum of three contestants in order for a division to take place, and in the absence of enough participates the Masters and PhD divisions may be combined. Students will have a total of 20 minutes to present and 10 minutes for questions from the judges.
A full schedule will be sent to the judges once finalized.
Eligibility
SPC volunteers must be:
- Approved by the SPE Staff responsible for the organization of the contest
- An SPE member in good standing (renewed membership for 2025)
- Judges must hold either a master's or a PhD to judge the division and BSc for Undergraduate
- Preferred previous experience in:
- Similar style contests
- Presenting at SPE Conferences
- Program selection committees for SPE Conferences
- Post-Secondary Faculty Member
- Personal interest in developing university students
- Effective communicator
Expectations
Regional Competition Judge Expectations:
- Participate on the day of the contest to observe the presentations and score the students based on the criteria provided
- Read the papers from your division before the day of the contest
- Ask any questions of the student following the presentation
- Discuss any tie-breaker situations with the other judges to agree on a winner
- Provide students with feedback to assist them with the continuous development of their presentation and paper writing skills
- Participate in debriefing session(s) as requested following the contest
Time Commitment
Reading and reviewing paper submissions: Each judge will be required to read a minimum of six technical papers from the contestants within the two weeks leading up to the competition.
Competition Date: Each judge will be required to be online and present on Saturday 10 May 2025.