This contest is open to anyone in BPK and you are not required to submit an abstract for BPK Research Day to participate in this contest. Prizes will be awarded to top submissions based on audience votes!

The purpose of the SciComm Contest is to creatively display your scientific communication skills to a lay audience. You may create a submission for either one of the contest prompts (or both, if you desire). Your submission(s) will be displayed during BPK Research Day and may be circulated ahead of the event — optionally, you may choose to remain anonymous. Participation in groups is also welcome.

Please submit your entries to Alice Li (meihui_li@sfu.ca) of the BPK Research Day Planning Committee by Friday, March 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

The prompts are as follows, with further instructions below:

1. Calling all future (Ig) Nobel Prize laureates: We want to hear about the research that first makes you laugh, and then makes you think. If you are aware of any research that aligns with this objective (whether it be your own work, someone else’s, or even something utterly pseudoscientific), please share it with us.

2. Researchers often face a lot of untold rejection ahead of their eventual successes: We want to hear about the hardships that became your triumphs. These may include initially rejected papers or grants that taught important lessons, failed experiments or almost-there ideas that evolved into something better, academic or career setbacks that shaped your current path, or anything in between. Whether it be humorous, honest, or reflective, please share your story with us.

While we do not wish to limit your creativity, we kindly ask that you follow the following submission guidelines where applicable when developing your submission(s):

Format

• Submissions may be in any format (visual abstract, comic, photograph, gif, video, poem, sculpture, etc.), as long as it can be displayed digitally on one slide
• If submitting video/audio/gif, please keep these under 1 minute in duration

Content

• While humour is welcome and encouraged, please keep submissions respectful and professional
• If sharing any unpublished work, please seek approval from all related parties before submission
• Please do not name reviewers or reveal any personal/confidential information without express permission

Citations

• If discussing published or otherwise reported work, please include citation(s) that make clear the source(s) and author(s)

AI

• The use of AI is permitted as the subject of, and/or in the development of, your submission; however, its use must be transformative and must be indicated in your submission to the BPK Research Day Planning Committee