The Brian Moss Student Competition
About
Best published paper in Limnology appearing as part of a PhD or MSc.
The selection process consists of two stages:
Stage 1– National: Each participating country will select its best paper to advance to the international competition stage. SIL Ambassadors will coordinate this selection by:
a) Assembling a committee of at least three peers with no conflict of interest. The names of the committee members must be disclosed to the competition chairs.
b) Evaluating and ranking submissions according to the official criteria No alternative criteria or scoring systems will be accepted.
c) Selecting one publication to represent their country in Stage 2.
Stage 2- International: An international jury of 10 members, composed of editors and editorial board members from leading limnological journals and from different parts of the world, will assess and rank the finalist publications to determine the winning one, based on the same evaluation criteria.
Prize
Plenary talk at the next SIL congress in 2026 (Montréal, Canada), and a certificate and a grant to attend the next SIL congress, including registration fee and travel costs.
Conditions for participating in Stage 1 of the competition
● Be a SIL member.
● Be the first author of the submitted article.
● Be a current student or an early career professional who completed the Ph.D. in 2023 or later.
● Have published the article in English and in the field of Limnology.
● Have the article published or fully accepted in a peer-reviewed international scientific journal in 2023 or later (preprints will not be accepted).
Material to submit
1. The filled application form
2. PDF of the published paper.
3. Proof of student status or degree completion (scanned copy of MSc/Ph.D. certificate OR official documentation confirming active student status).
Submission process
Candidates must submit documents (items 1-3 above) by email to their respective SIL Ambassador in the country where they are currently enrolled or where they conducted their thesis (see contact list). While any Ambassador may recruit candidates, only those listed here are responsible for collecting submissions. Candidates should always request confirmation of receipt!
For candidates from countries without SIL Ambassador, submissions should be sent directly to Ruben Sommaruga, the Chair of the Brian Moss Student Competition Committee. In case that more than one candidate is from a country without an Ambassador, the international Jury will select the best publication to enter Stage 2 of the competition.
Deadlines (2025 - 2026)
- June 15th, 2025- Submission of required documents by candidates from countries without an Ambassador.
- June 30th, 2025– Submission of required documents by candidates from countries with an Ambassador.
- August 30th, 2025– Submission of the country’s winning article to the Chair by the respective Ambassadors.
- November 15th, 2025– Announcement of the competition winner and names of all competitors who advanced to Stage 2.
- May 16, 2026– Award ceremony at the SIL-ASLO Congress in Montreal, Canada.
Criteria for evaluating the publications at the national and international screening:
● Scientific quality: Assess the rigor of the study, including the soundness of its methodology, experimental approach (if any) and statistical analysis. (Max: 10 points)
● Originality: Evaluate the novelty of the research question or hypothesis tested. (Max: 10 points)
● Relevance and impact: Assess the scientific significance of the results. If applicable, also assess their contribution to the conservation and/or restoration of inland waters even at local scale. (Max: 10 points)
Award
The awards will consist of a main prize and two honorable mentions, plus merit certificates to all those participating in Stage 2 of the competition:
- The main prize will consist of a certificate and a grant to attend the 2026 SIL-ASLO Congress in Canada, including registration fees and travel costs. The winning author will be required to give a Plenary Lecture (30 min) about the topic of the article.
● Those receiving an honorable mention will get a certificate and a grant to attend the 2026 SIL-ASLO Congress, including the registration fee + US$ 500 each to cover part of their congress expenses. They will be asked to jointly report and summarize their impressions of the congress as representatives of the young generation of SIL members in the concluding award ceremony.
Publication of the full list of participants and results of the selection at stages 1 and 2 will be published on the SIL website in the section Student Area.
