Conference Awards Information

Application and Award Process:

All those interested in applying should follow the instructions below:

• Submit their contributed paper abstract through the IBC abstract submission site and indicate that they are applying for the Young Statisticians Showcase Competition. Papers should meet the guidelines of the IBC abstract submission guidelines.
  • ScholarOne Abstract - IBC2024 Submission Site
  • Contributed Paper Guidelines
• Applicants will be asked to submit a PDF of their submitted paper, no later than two weeks after the abstract submission acceptance notification on 15 May, 2024.
  • You will receive an email with an application form with the abstract 
  • This deadline with change if an extension to the abstract submission date is granted. 
  • Papers submitted must be no longer than 4 pages and must contain original work that has not yet been published, has not been the subject of any other award, and is predominantly student's own work. The applicant must be the leading author of the paper. 
  • Applications analysis qualify only if the analysis has methodological implications or shows a novel and interesting application of statistics to an area of the biosciences, including health, agricultures, or ecology. 
• The applicant will also be responsible for attaching a letter from their supervisor, or former supervisor, on official letterhead of the student's institution, confirming that the student is registered for (or obtained since the start of 2021_ a graduate or post-graduate degree, and that the paper to be presented is original, neither previously published, not the subject of any other award and is predominantly the student's own work. 
• The applicant should also attach a short statement of the financial need and the importance of participation in the IBC2024 Conference (no more than 500 words). 
• Only one paper per student will be accepted.
• Applicants should be a student member of the International Biometric Society. 

Selection process:
All submitted papers will be reviewed by a committee of five judges. Five papers, one from each of the five continental areas (Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australasia), will be selected based on the following criteria: clarity, innovation, methodology, and application aspects in addition to submitted supporting documents. each paper will be independently judged by at least two judges. 

Awardees will be informed in July 2024 and will be asked to prepare an oral presentation at the Young Statisticians Showcase during the IBC2024. If any awardee is unable to attend, the committee will have the option to select another applicant.

Guidelines for Travel Awards in IBC Years

This document outlines the procedure to be used to fund travel for IBS members from Lower- or Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) (http://www.biometricsociety.org/regions/) who seek to participate in the IBC.

Guidelines for Travel Support

Award Amount:

Up to $3,000 USD for travel, lodging and registration expenses to attend the International Biometric Conference (IBC). Funding will be granted on even numbered years.

Eligibility:

• Applicant must be an IBS member at the time of application and for at least 12 months prior to the date of application.
• Applicant must be residing in a Lower-or-Middle Income Country (LMIC) at the time of the application. Lower- or Middle-Income Countries are defined by the World Bank as countries classified as low or middle income countries. A list is on the World Bank website (see: https://data.worldbank.org/income-level/low-and-middle-income).
• Previous Travel Fund award winners may apply if the award was not made in the previous four years. However, preference will be given to those who have not received a travel award in the past.
• The conference to be attended must the International Biometric Conference.
• An applicant does need to have applied for an oral or poster presentation. Travel funding will only be awarded to those that have been chosen to present their presentation at the IBC.

How to Apply

A form link will be provided in your Abstract Acceptance Letter.  The application deadline is 31 May 2024.

While completing the online application, please be sure to include your membership verification for the application to be considered complete. This may be in the form of your receipt or welcome letter from your Region Administrator.  

A Word about IBS and Region Financial Support

• Much of the funding provided through this program will come directly from the International Biometric Society.
• However, some Regions or Networks may decide to become involved in the funding of Lower Middle Income country members to attend the IBC.
• Applicants are encouraged to reach out to Regions and Networks regarding any level of support they may be able to provide. In their written response, Regions are encouraged to specify to applicants how many awards they might help to fund, what can be funded, and any other criteria for applicants. This communication not only allows the IBS and Regions to make the most of available funding. It also encourages individuals to establish ongoing connections with local Regions.

Review Criteria

All applications will be reviewed and evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Length of IBS membership
2. Participation in Society activities at group, regional and/or international level
3. Academic and professional activity
4. Availability of other funding
5. Professional reference

Notification

All applicants will receive an email notification by July 2024 regarding the final status of their application.

Application

Application is at abstract submission. The abstract submission must indicate application for this award. To be considered in the ‘Student’ category, the lead author and presenter must be designated as a student during abstract submission.

If the paper is accepted for poster presentation, it will then be judged during the conference. Applicants for the award should make sure they are available to answer questions about their poster at the designated times for the poster session they have been assigned.

Judging

A sub-committee of three members drawn from the International Program Committee (IPC) and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) will evaluate all poster award applicants. Committee members evaluate papers anonymously, scoring them on a scale of 1-5 based on the following criteria:

1. Originality: How original is the concept presented in this poster? Or, how original is the new approach to an old problem?
2. Significance: Does the work offer new insight into an area of biometrics, or does the line of work offer considerable promise for the future?
3. Presentation: How logical are the ideas presented in this poster? How interesting is the manner of presentation?
4. Methods: How suitable is the research design for the stated objectives, and how appropriate are any statistical techniques applied?
5. Poster Quality: Were the design, layout and format of high quality?
6. Interview: How knowledgeable and conversant is the presenting author with the research presented in the poster?

Important note: At abstract submission, if eligible, an abstract may be designated to be considered for the Young Statistician Competition, Best Student Oral Paper and Best Poster. It is then entered into the relevant competition after decisions regarding assignment of the abstract are made.

Application and Award Process:

Initial application is at abstract submission. The lead author and presenter must be designated as a student during abstract submission. The abstract submission must indicate application for this award.

The student presenter must be a student member of the IBS and should register for the conference as a student delegate by the early bird registration deadline.

If the paper is accepted for oral presentation in a contributed oral session, the applicant must then submit a final draft of the presentation (PowerPoint or PDF) by the early bird registration deadline date via email: conference@biometricsociety.org. Validation of student status (for example, a letter from a supervisor) will also be required at this time.

Judging:

Select members from the International Program Committee (IPC) and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) will judge the presentations. The submitted papers will be pre-screened by the judges, and no more than 12 will be selected as finalists for the competition. At least two judges will attend the oral presentation of each finalist in the competition.

The judging criteria are as follows:

1. Originality: to what extent does the work presented add to the existing body of knowledge?
2. Purpose: is the purpose clearly stated, and is it importance discussed?
3. Methods: are the methods and statistical analyses sound?
4. Conclusions: do the conclusions follow from the results presented?
5. Presentation: did the presenter speak clearly and effectively? Were the multimedia aids of high quality?
6. Answering Questions: How well did the presenter answer questions from the audience?

This information about the award will also be available on the conference website: https://www.ibc2024.org/events/cs24

Important note: at abstract submission, if eligible, an abstract may be designated to be considered for the Young Statistician Competition, Best Student Oral Paper and Best Poster. It is then entered into the relevant competition after decisions regarding assignment of the abstract are made.

Award: A certificate and $1,000 (USD) sponsored jointly by the International Biometrics Society
(IBS) and the Caucus for Women in Statistics (CWS).

Eligibility:

1. Having been selected and notified for an oral presentation (contributed or invited) for IBC 2024.
2. All current students or those who have obtained their Masters or Ph.D. on or after May 2019. Documents attesting to this eligibility (e.g. current valid student ID or diploma showing the date of graduation) need to be submitted with other information as requested below.
3. Applicant must have provided service and care for honorable causes, who have helped to raise the standing of disadvantaged groups in the profession including women and minorities.
4. Must be an IBS and/or CWS member in good standing.
5. Both men and women are eligible for this award.

Application procedure:

1. Complete the form provided in your Contributed Abstract Acceptance Letter, include the below information in the form as requested. A form link will also be distributed to all invited session presenters via email. 
2. A summary (500 words maximum) describing the main contributions of the applicant to research in biostatistics/biometrics. The applicant may also describe their contributions in serving and caring for disadvantaged groups and promoting diversity in particular, if these contributions exist.
3. Arrange for two letters of reference (250 words maximum) attesting to the value of the candidate’s contributions, to be included in your application.
4. All materials (including the reference letters) should be submitted to the Award Committee as a pdf attachment within the online form provided. 
5. Deadline: Applications are due 31 May 2024. 

Award Judging Procedure:

1. Submissions will be judged by the Award Committee, and all applicants will be notified on the selection of finalists one month after the notification of the acceptance of contributed  abstracts.
2. All finalists will be judged by members of the Award Committee in the sessions where they are scheduled to speak at the IBC conference. In the event that online presentations are necessary, finalists will be scheduled to present their work via a public Zoom session and will be judged by members of the Award Committee.
3. The winner will be announced at the conclusion ceremony of the IBC. The winner is also requested to provide a brief description of his/her research and contributions to the profession and a brief biosketch. Such materials will be posted on the CWS and IBS websites and may also be used in other Society publications/communications. Recorded versions of finalist presentations will be made available on the Society Websites.