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
The best paper awardee will give an award talk at the next SIL congress in 2026 (Montréal, Canada), and receive a certificate, free congress registration, as well as financial support to help fund 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 competition will offer three awards: a main prize, two runners-up prizes for second and third place, and merit certificates for those representing their countries in Stage 2 of the competition.
-
Main Prize: The main prize includes a certificate and support to attend the 2026 SIL-ASLO Congress in Canada. This includes coverage of the registration fee and a travel grant intended to help offset transportation costs. The recipient will also be invited to deliver a 30-minute Award Lecture on the topic of their article during the congress.
-
Second and Third Place: The two runners-up will each receive a certificate and support to attend the 2026 SIL-ASLO Congress, including registration and a travel allowance. They will be invited to jointly present a summary of their experiences at the congress during the concluding award ceremony, representing the perspectives of the younger generation of SIL members.
- Those who compete in Stage 2 of the competition will be awarded a merit certificate for representing their country in the International Stage.
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.
