2024 SBSS Student Paper Competition:

The ASA Section on Bayesian Statistical Science (SBSS) is pleased to announce a student paper competition for research on Bayesian methodology, which may be broadly construed and includes applied, computational, or theoretical work. This paper competition is for completed research. A manuscript suitable for journal submission is required to enter the competition. The student paper may be unsubmitted, submitted or under review, but may not have already appeared in a journal/conference proceeding either online or in print at the time of application. Winners of the competition will receive partial support to attend the 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) in Portland, OR. Details on the SBSS student paper competition are provided below. General principles for ASA student paper competitions apply.

Eligibility: To be eligible for this award, the candidate must have been a full-time student (undergraduate, masters, or Ph.D.) on or after September 1, 2023. The candidate must be first author on the paper, and the advisor must write a letter stating that the candidate had primary responsibility for the research and write-up. The candidate must be a member of SBSS or ISBA (International Society for Bayesian Analysis). Students who have previously received travel support from SBSS are not eligible to participate.

Application deadline: Dec. 1, 2023 by 5pm ET (US Eastern Time).

Application Instructions: To apply for the competition, the applicants must use this Google form to upload the following:

1. The applicant’s CV.

2. A letter from the applicant’s advisor verifying the student status of the applicant and briefly describing the applicant’s role in the research and writing of the paper.

3. A blinded version of the paper in pdf without any author names and affiliations in the text or on the title page. Submissions in formats other than pdf will not be accepted. Self-identifying citations and references in the article text should either be avoided or left blank. The paper must contain an abstract no more than 200 words in length, must be double-spaced with at least 11-point font and be no longer than 25 pages including all figures, tables, appendices and bibliography. Submission of supplementary materials is not allowed.

Selection of winners: Papers will be reviewed by a committee determined by the officers of the SBSS. Criteria for selection include, but are not limited to, novelty in theory/methods/applications, significance and potential impact of the research, and clarity of writing and presentation. Decisions of the committee are final.

Applicants will be notified by January 15, 2024. Winners of the SBSS student paper competition must submit abstracts and register for JSM by February 1, 2024 through the official JSM abstract submission system. To receive the award, winners must register for the conference and present a talk based on the submitted paper in a session reserved for the SBSS student paper competition. Those who are not selected as winners are encouraged to submit a contributed abstract to the JSM 2024.

Prizes: SBSS anticipates awarding multiple travel awards in the amount of $800 to each student winner and one travel award in the amount of $1200 to the winner of the Laplace Award. All winners will also be presented with a certificate at the SBSS section meeting at JSM 2024.

Application URL: https://forms.gle/BAbrn49tYvUfQBfD6

Questions: Questions can be directed to the SBSS student paper award committee chair:

Anindya Bhadra
bhadra@purdue.edu
Professor of Statistics
Purdue University