Call for Submissions: HECA Student Research Digital Posters Competition

Sixth Annual HECA Student Research Awards 2026

Call for Submissions: HECA Student Research Digital Posters Competition

The HECA Research Committee is now inviting students and recent graduates of HECA member higher education institutions to submit digital posters that directly relate to their research study.

Background

Established in 2020 by the HECA Research Committee, the HECA Student Research Awards (HSRAs) aim to showcase student research to the broader academic community. The goal is to promote ongoing research within our higher education institutions, while also encouraging and supporting further studies in these areas.

Assessment and Display

Posters will be evaluated by a panel of research experts.

The winners and shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their posters at a poster showcase at the 2026 HECA Research Conference which will take place in person at Griffith College Dublin on Tuesday, 8 December 2026. Printed posters will be displayed in the showcase area of the Conference, and time will be allotted in the Conference programme for delegates to view the posters and discuss the research with poster presenters.

Poster Guidelines

• Digital posters should be submitted as an attachment to the submission form.
• Ensure your digital poster is in PDF format, sized to A1 (594 × 841 mm).
• Please adhere to best-practice poster design principles.
• Posters should clearly communicate the purpose, methodology, findings and significance of the research.

Prizes

1st Prize: €350 and trophy

2nd Prize: €150 and trophy

3rd Prize: Trophy

Submission Deadline

The deadline for poster submissions is Monday, 12 October 2026.

How to Submit

To submit your poster, please complete the online submission form:

https://heca.ie/heca-student-research-awards-2026-submission-form/

We encourage all eligible students and recent graduates to take this opportunity to showcase their research and contribute to the growing culture of research excellence across the HECA community.

We look forward to receiving your submissions for the Sixth Annual HECA Student Research Awards 2026.

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Previous Winners

The Fifth Annual HECA Student Research Awards (2025) recognised outstanding student research from across HECA member higher education institutions.

1st Prize

Rachael Purcell – Griffith College and Innopharma Education (Recent Graduate)

Utilising Virtual Population-based Anatomic Design Methods in Design of a Glenoid Component in a Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty System

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2nd Prize

Hamza Razaq – Dublin Business School (Recent Graduate)

Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health Practice: Perspectives from Mental Health Professionals and AI Developers

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3rd Prize

Ignacio Alarcon Varela and Bernardo Gandara – CCT College (Current Students)

Development of a Deep Learning Model for Synthetic vs. Real Image Classification

View the winning posters and read more about the 2025 HECA Student Research Awards here:

Fifth Annual HECA Student Research Awards: https://heca.ie/fifth-annual-heca-student-research-awards/