Scientific outreach activity design competition (OPEN COMPETITION)

Guidelines for the Scientific outreach activity design competition

The objectives of the PROTEO Science Outreach Activity Design Competition are to:

• Give students the opportunity to develop their science communication skills and share their field of research with non-specialist audiences through a short outreach activity;
• Increase the visibility of participating students and their research by featuring the activities on the PROTEO website and at family-oriented events;
• Expand the range of activities offered by the École des protéines.

Competition and Application Deadlines

The deadline for submission of applications is November 30, 2026 at 5:00 pm. Results will be announced in January 2027.

Description of a Short Outreach Activity

A short outreach activity is a science communication activity that is:

• Short and suitable for festivals: it can be completed in 5 to 10 minutes, repeated several times throughout the day, and adapted to different audiences;
• Interactive and engaging: it allows participants to do, manipulate, observe, experiment, or reflect, while sparking their curiosity and interest in participating;
• Accessible: it can be understood by a non-specialist audience without prior scientific knowledge and focuses on a clear message;
• Science-based: it allows participants to discover a concept related to proteins.

Eligibility

The competition is open to students under the official supervision of regular PROTEO members. The proposed activity does not need to focus specifically on the candidate’s own research, as long as the topic is related to PROTEO’s scientific themes.

Evaluation of Science Outreach Activities

• Activities will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
  • Engagement and interactivity: the activity’s ability to capture the audience’s interest, encourage participation, and provide an engaging and enriching experience.
  • Science communication: the ability to present a scientific concept in a clear, accessible manner appropriate for a non-specialist audience, while maintaining the richness of the scientific content.
  • Scientific accuracy: the accuracy of the scientific concepts and information presented as part of the activity.
  • Suitability for festival settings: the ability to deliver the activity in a short, dynamic, and repeatable format, while taking into account the target audience, materials, space, and conditions required for its implementation.

Winners’ prize

Students whose proposals are selected will receive a $500 award. The selected activity proposals will then be further developed in collaboration with our science communicator and incorporated into our workshops.

How to enter

To apply, please fill in the application form, using Arial font, size 11, and send it electronically to proteo@uqam.ca. The file must be named as follows: Firstname-Lastname-EDP2026