Overview

Presentation sessions are a valuable opportunity for students to summarize and present their planning work in a professional setting, with a Q&A opportunity at the end of the session. This year’s Florida Planning Conference will include one (1) shared session for selected students to present their research or work.

There will be two types of presentation categories: individual or group. Examples of individual work include, but are not limited to: independent studies, internships, theses, or research projects. Examples of group work include, but are not limited to: design competitions, studios, group professional work, or group activities or coursework.

The presentation is limited to a slide deck. StoryMaps will not be permitted, although the work therein could be presented as a slide deck if converted. The format must be non-web based (i.e. hard drive file) and should be provided as either Powerpoint or PDF. Presentations will be allotted 5 minutes maximum with a hard cutoff.

The presentations will be judged by a diverse panel of jurors. Rubrics will be provided upon notification of selection (May). There will be a winning presentation for each category (individual and group), and winners will be announced during the conference. APA Florida Project Awards Recipients will not be eligible to win the student presentation session. However, these recipients are welcome to submit their work for the poster or presentation.

Submissions are welcomed from all students regardless of program level, major, or university. Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral work is accepted and does not need to be from students in an accredited planning program. Recent graduates are welcome to submit so long as the work they intend to present was conducted while as a student. The work being presented must be planning-related.

Rules

• The work/research being presented:
  • Must have been conducted (not necessarily completed) no earlier than January 2024
  • Must have been conducted while enrolled as a student
  • Must be planning-related
  • Must represent original student work and acknowledge all contributors
• Students may submit the same topic for both poster and presentation. If selected, students will only be permitted to participate in one format. If students strongly prefer one format or the other, they should submit for that format only.
• Your submission must be endorsed by a faculty member at your university.
  • You will be required to submit the faculty member’s name and email address in the form, and the faculty member will be notified of the submission.
• Each student will have a maximum of 5 minutes to present their work
  • Interactive/audience engagement activities are permitted but must not exceed the total 5-minute time allotment
• A student must be in person to present the session during the given time at the Florida Planning Conference
• All participants must be a Student Member of APA.
• Submittals will be required to provide the following when applying:
  • Student information (name/s, university, major, degree level)
  • Whether the application is for an Individual or Group project
  • Working title
  • Geographic location of work/research
  • An abstract of the project to be presented (100 words max.)
  • Faculty endorsement (name, email)

Timeline and Procedures

• Jan. 31:   Call for submissions and webform opens
• March 31:  Call for submissions and webform closes
• April:   Subcommittee reviews submissions, determines recipients
• May 9:  Selected presenters and faculty endorsers are notified, rubrics provided

Q: I worked on a team as part of a class project.  Can I, as an individual, put an application together for that project?

A:  Yes. However, you would need to submit this as a team project and identify the members of the team on the poster or presentation.

Q: I worked on two project teams throughout my first year of planning school. We worked on a BikePed project in one class and developed a Story Map on neighborhood change for a different class. Can I submit for both? 

A: Yes, you may submit for more than 1 project or topic. StoryMaps will not be accepted, so the format would need to be converted to a slide deck presentation.

Q: I completed a master’s thesis on public engagement.  Can I submit that under either category?

A: Yes, but note that if selected you will only be selected for one format (i.e. poster OR presentation). If you have a preference for one format over the other, submit for your preferred format.

Q: I was on a student team that developed a hazards plan for a community, along with an interactive Story Map.  Can each team members present on the part we did in the multimedia presentation? 

A: Yes, you may use your 5 minute presentation time as you would like with your team. The format cannot be a StoryMap and must be converted to a slide deck presentation.

Q: I developed a Story Map for an Equity and the Environment project.  Will I have an adequate internet connection to provide a tour of the Story Map during my presentation?  

A: Likely no. Internet connection is not a guarantee for the presentation session. You should plan to use a slide deck presentation as a standalone platform to describe your work.

Q: I worked on a team project that was submitted for consideration under the FAPA outstanding Student Award.  Can we also submit this project under the Poster contest? 

A: Yes, you may submit this under either the poster or presentation, but if selected would only be selected for one. If your project was selected to win the Outstanding Student Award or a Project of Merit, your project would still be evaluated by the judges, but you would not be eligible to receive a second award under the Poster or Presentation sessions

Q: How will I know how well I did on the poster or multimedia contest?

A: A diverse panel of judges will complete a standard scoring sheet, which will be made available to all students upon notification of selection. The judges will make available to each applicant (individuals / teams) the completed scoring sheets, with composite scores and any reviewer comments.  The scoring sheets will be made available after organization, during the conference, for all students to review.

Q: Do I need to be present at the conference reception to receive my award if I won in one of the categories?

A: No.  The names and project titles of winners from both contents will be announced at the conference reception.  It is recommended that a team or individual find a representative to be present to select the award on your behalf.