Submissions

Submission Documents

Please review this document for detailed submission instructions.

Abstracts/Artist Statements

  1. Submissions may be made for an oral, poster, or visual & performing art presentation.

  2. To apply, all UM student applicants must have their faculty research mentor review and approve the abstract prior to submission. Faculty & any co-author/presenter names & emails will also be entered on the submission form.

  3. Complete the ScholarWorks Online Submission Form using your NetID email (ex. AA123456@umconnect.umt.edu) by Sunday, February 4 at midnight. No new submissions will be accepted after the deadline. We encourage you to upload final abstracts at this time, however, updates may be made up to a week prior to GradCon. 

  4. Abstracts (maximum 300 words) should be revised to reflect your most recent work on the project. Explore this page for sample abstracts. Abstracts must include the following elements (as applicable to your field): 

    1. Title: Describe your topic in language that is intelligible to a general audience.

    2. Purpose: State your main thesis or rationale.

    3. Methods: How did you carry out this project?

    4. Originality: What is new about this approach?

    5. Significance: Explain the contribution of this project to your field and/or to society

  5. Artist Statement (maximum 300 words) may be submitted in lieu of an abstract to the Visual & Performing Arts category. Entries may include research or explanation of artwork, sculpture, painting, writing, reading, dancing, playing an instrument, etc.

Personal Statements

Personal statements are optional but required to be eligible for a Best of GradCon Award.

Personal statements should be no more than 300 words as well and should explain the importance of your work. Why should it be considered for a "Best of GradCon" award? What is the value of your work? That value could include value to yourself as an individual, to the University of Montana, to our community, or more broadly to humanity. Use your personal statement to talk about your work outside the constraints of an abstract in a way that leads the judging panel to want to learn more.

Presentation Overview

Accepted submissions will be scheduled for in-person oral or poster presentations on Friday, March 8, 2023 in the University Center. For additional logistics on presentation format, printing/uploading posters & presentation slides, and set-up for GradCon, please visit the Day of Presentation page.

Oral Presentations (including Visual & Performing Art) are scheduled in one-hour blocks throughout the day. Each presentation within the block will be 15 minutes total (12 minutes for presentation & 3 minutes allotted for questions).

Poster Presentations are scheduled during the 5:00 - 6:00 pm poster session You will be asked to be in front of your poster for the entire hour as judges and conference attendees circulate and ask questions. Award Session will immediately follow from 6:00-6:30 pm.

Video Recording of Oral Presentations: All oral presentations are encouraged to be recorded & uploaded to ScholarWorks. ScholarWorks is UM’s open-access, online repository that documents, archives, and shares research and creative scholarship. Recording is optional but will give you a permanent link to your presentation that you can share with future employers, colleagues, family members, etc. See Archive Pages in ScholarWorks.

Available Assistance & Resources

wspc-logo.pngThe Writing and Public Speaking Center is offering three abstract-writing workshops for GradCon submissions.

If you would like additional assistance in prepping your GradCon abstract, personal statement, or developing your poster or presentation, please make an appointment through the Writing and Public Speaking Center’s online scheduler.

Additional Resources

Sample Abstracts
How to Record Presentation Using Zoom (6min)
ScholarWorks - UM's Online Repository & Archives
How to Prepare your Poster for Printing - NetID is needed to view (2min)

Award Eligibility & Judging

**A Personal Statement must accompany the abstract if it is to be considered for an award.

Personal statements should be no more than 300 words, and should explain the importance of your work. Why should it be considered for a "Best of GradCon" award? What is the value of your work? That value could include value to yourself as an individual, to the University of Montana, to our community, or more broadly to humanity. Use your personal statement to talk about your work outside the constraints of an abstract in a way that leads the judging panel to want to learn more.

Round 1. For students who self-select into consideration for a "Best of GradCon" award, your abstract/artist statement & personal statement (both ~300 words) will be reviewed by the judges during Round 1 of judging. Judges will pick the “Top” submissions in the listed categories, based on this rubric. Your submission should compel the judges to want to learn more. Abstract/Personal Statement Rubric.

Round 2. You will be notified by February 19, 2024 at your NetID email if you have been requested to move to the 2nd round of judging. Round 2 requires uploading either the final version of the poster or oral presentation slides ALONG with uploading the MP4 video accompaniment to ScholarWorks by Monday, February 26 at NOON. Poster presentations should include up to 10 minutes of video description of the research; oral presentations (including V&PA) should be no more than 15 minutes. If the video has not been uploaded by the deadline, the submission will be disqualified. Tailoring the presentation to a general audience is one of the most important factors in obtaining a “Best of GradCon” Award, so take the time to get it right. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself and to explain the importance of your project. Presentations will be judged based on the Presentation Rubric.

Best of GradCon Awards - UM Graduate School will be awarding $300 for the best entries in the following categories. *Special thanks to the Humanities Institute for their support.

Oral Presentations - STEM & Social Sciences/Humanities

Poster Presentations - STEM & Social Sciences/Humanities

Performing & Visual Arts Presentations (includes Creative Writing)

Awardees will be announced (ONLY) during the GradCon Award Ceremony on March 8 from 6:00-6:30 pm in the UC Ballroom (3rd floor). More information will be sent to your NetID email in February. View Past Awardees.

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