2026 International Student Paper Contest Judge

The SPE International Student Paper Contest brings together the winners of the 12 regional contest to find the top technical papers in the Undergraduate, Master, PhD divisions.

This year the contest will be hosted at the SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (ATCE) in Houston, USA. The paper Contest will take place on Wednesday 23 October 2026 from 0930 - 1630. 

We will be looking for Judges who will watch all presentations for a division, to ask questions to the contestants, and to score the presentations.

PLEASE NOTE: SPE CANNOT PROVIDE FINANCIAL AID TO TRAVEL OR ATTEND ATCE. PLEASE ONLY APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU ARE ALREADY PLANNING TO ATTEND ATCE. SPE MEMBERS CAN REGISTER WITH A EXHIBITION ONLY PASS FOR FREE, WHICH WILL GIVE YOU ACCESS TO THE SPC CONTESTS. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR THIS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY. 

Duties: 

• Read the Technical Papers for the Participants in preparation for the contest
• Attend all presentations for your assigned division during Meeting on Wednesday 23 October 2026.
• Ask suitable questions on the presentations shown to the participants
• Score and rank the contestants to be collated with other judges
• Verify the overall scores and confirm the contest results.

• Discuss any tie-breaker situations with the other judges to agree on a winner

Criteria:

All applications will be vetted to meet the following criteria. Once reviewed you will be contact by SPE staff to confirm your place.  

• An SPE Professional member in good standing
• Be available for the duration of the contest

• Judges must hold a minimum of the corresponding degree for the division in which they will be judging (Example: if you’re judging the PhD division, you must also hold a PhD)
• Ideally candidates will have prior experience in the contest, however this is not a requirement.