Awards

ISAM 2025 Awards

The intent of ISAM Awards is to recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions to the academic makerspace community. By acknowledging these outstanding contributions, the conference aims to encourage innovation, push creative boundaries, highlight technical skills, and share best practices within the ISAM community.

Paper Awards, Eligibility and Criteria

  • Faculty/Instructor/Staff /Industry Best Paper
  • Faculty/Instructor/Staff /Industry Honorable Mention Paper
  • Student Best Paper
  • Student Honorable Mention Paper

This award aims to highlight exemplary work that encourages the sharing of knowledge and proven best practices that broadly benefit the ISAM community.  All selected papers presented at the ISAM conference will be eligible for this award.  The “student awards” shall only be bestowed upon papers in which all authors are students.  The “faculty/instructor/staff/industry” awards shall be bestowed upon papers wherein the lead author is a faculty/instructor/staff/industry participant. 

Papers considered for this award must be well-written and address relevant and current challenges and opportunities in academic makerspaces. The paper should be presented effectively, conveying the key points, engaging the audience in the topic, and they must demonstrate proven/quantifiable significant impact that others can adapt for their use.  The criteria for this award include originality with a focus on quantifiable and useful results, novel ideas, approaches, or findings that contribute to the field.

Poster Awards, Eligibility and Criteria

At most one award per category, i.e. 4 awards per year, will be given.

  • Faculty/Instructor/Staff/Industry Best Poster
  • Faculty/Instructor/Staff/Industry Honorable Mention Poster
  • Student Best Poster
  • Student Honorable Mention Poster

The Poster awards aim to highlight exemplary work that encourages the sharing of knowledge and proven best practices that broadly benefit the ISAM community.  All selected posters presented at the ISAM conference will be eligible for this award.  The “student awards” shall only be bestowed upon posters in which all authors are students.  The “faculty/instructor/staff/industry” awards shall be bestowed upon posters wherein the lead author is a faculty/instructor/industry participant. 

Posters considered for this award must address relevant and current challenges and opportunities in academic makerspaces. The poster should be presented effectively, conveying the key points, engaging the audience in the topic, and presenters must be capable of adeptly answering questions and explaining their methods/results/data.  The criteria for this award include originality with a focus on quantifiable and useful results, novel ideas, approaches, or findings that contribute to the field.

Demonstration Awards, Eligibility and Criteria

At most one award per category, i.e. 4 awards per year, will be given each year. The “student awards” shall only be bestowed upon demonstrations in which all authors are students.  The “faculty/instructor/staff/industry” awards shall be bestowed upon demonstrations wherein the lead author is a faculty/instructor/staff/industry participant. 

  • Faculty/Instructor/Staff/Industry Best Demonstration
  • Faculty/Instructor/Staff/Industry Honorable Mention Demonstration
  • Student Best Demonstration
  • Student Honorable Mention Demonstration

    The intent of the Best Demonstration Award is to recognize and celebrate outstanding demonstrations at each ISAM.  Specifically to recognize demonstrations that illustrate any or all of the following:  clever solutions; innovations; useful results; combinations of rigor in STEM and making; entrepreneurial projects; artistic forms of making; aids for making, software, tools and technologies for making; and other tangible and demonstrable components/systems.  It is important to note that these demonstrations, at their heart, celebrate the joy of making and the joy that comes from this… not commercial or entrepreneurial endeavors/projects that solicit interest in purchasing, funding or other means of financial/in kind support. 

    Demos considered for this award must address relevant and current challenges and opportunities in academic makerspaces. The demos should be presented effectively, conveying the key points, engaging the audience in the topic, and presenters must be capable of adeptly answering questions and explaining their methods/results/data.  The criteria for this award include originality and creativity with a focus on clear explanation, effective visual aids, strong engagement with the audience, technical proficiency, and overall impact of the demonstration.

NEW! People’s Choice Awards, Eligibility and Criteria

  • People’s Choice: Best Paper
  • People’s Choice: Best Poster
  • People’s Choice: Best Demonstration

The intent of the People’s Choice award for the best paper presentation, poster, and demo is to highlight the most exciting projects that the ISAM community wishes to celebrate through a community vote. At most one of each award will be given per year. All selected paper, poster and demonstrations presented at the ISAM conference will be eligible for this award. This award aims to highlight exemplary work that encourages sharing knowledge and best practices with the ISAM community.