Description
SPE coordinates 14 regional student paper contests at the undergraduate, master's, and PhD level. Students compete against other students in their region for the opportunity to advance to the International Student Paper Contest held during ATCE. Contestants enter an abstract of their paper and present it on the day of the competition. The papers of the winners who proceed to the International Student Paper Contest at ATCE can be published in the conference proceedings and on OnePetro.
This year, the Regional Contest will take place in-person. We are currently seeking volunteer judges for three divisions, Undergraduate, Master’s and PhD divisions. Judges will begin their role as early as January during the selection phase. The contest will take place in-person on the 22-23 April 2024, Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES).
For further details about the contest, please visit the Student Paper Contest web page.
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 2024)
- 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
- Judges must be able to take part in judging through the entirety of the contest.
- Preferred previous experience in the below, but also welcome to brand-new volunteers.
- Similar style contests
- Presenting at SPE Conferences
- Program selection committees for SPE Conferences
- Post-Secondary Faculty Member
*Note: new volunteers with little to no experience are also welcome to apply
- Personal interest in developing university students
- Effective communicator
Expectations
Both online judges and onsite judges will be required.
Judging is run in 2 stages:
1st Stage: Online stage – covers review of all submitted abstracts. Only abstracts with higher scores will be selected to present onsite at the contest.
2nd Stage: Onsite stage – participants present their work live on stage during the contest. Judges observe and evaluate each contestant.
In the application form, please indicate if you are interested in online judging only OR both online and onsite judging.
During the selection phase, online judges are expected to:
- Review abstracts in advance of the contest using the provided online portal within the set timeline (approx. 3-4 weeks)
- Shortlist the students that will present at the contest
- Take part in at least two teleconference calls between the date you begin your role and the date of the contest
During the in-person contest, onsite judges are expected to:
- Review abstracts of the short-listed students
- Participate in volunteer briefing session(s) as required in advance of the contest
- Participate on the day of the contest to observe the presentations and mark the students based on criteria provided
- 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 skills
- Participate in debriefing session(s) as required following the contest
- Note: Judges will have to fund and organize their own travel to the contest.
Middle East and North Africa Student Paper Contest Details
Date: 22-23 April 2024
Venue: Oman Petroleum & Energy Show