Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q.
I am an undergraduate student in my last year of studies and am conducting original research for my honours thesis. Am I eligible to apply?
A.
No, the competition is only open to current graduate students.
We suggest that undergraduate students looking to showcase their research on campus check out the Undergraduate Research Initiative, which hosts the Festival of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (FURCA) annually. UAlberta is exploring opportunities to celebrate undergraduate work in the future. Undergraduates are also welcome and encouraged to deposit their research into ERA, our institutional repository.
Q.
Is there a limit to the number of images I can submit?
A.
Yes, only one image per person can be submitted.
Q.
Can the image depict research conducted at a previous university?
A.
No, the image must represent University of Alberta research.
Q.
Can I submit an image from previous graduate and post-graduate research conducted at UAlberta?
A.
No, if you are currently a graduate student, you must submit an image based on your most current research at UAlberta. If you are no longer a graduate student, then you are ineligible to submit an entry.
Q.
I applied last year but did not win a prize. Can I resubmit?
A.
Yes, but you must submit a new image, title, and description. Images that have been submitted in previous years will not be accepted. However, the new image can originate from the same research. Previous prize winners are ineligible to resubmit.
Q.
What are the technical requirements for submission?
A.
Our technical requirements can be found on Preparing Your Entry. Submissions not meeting the technical requirements will be disqualified.
Q.
Can I get help with technical questions? For example, how do I set my image to be 300 dpi?
A.
To get technical help, please register for one of two virtual workshops:
You will receive help with the following:
- Design and getting the most out of your image
- Crafting a clear and compelling description
- Making sure your image meets the technical requirements
- Copyright implications of the CC-BY license
- General Q & A
Q.
Are there special considerations for images with people?
A.
If your image features people, it is your responsibility to obtain consent from any identifiable people in the image and to ensure that each person signs a photo release, as stated in paragraph 6c of the Competition Official Rules.
Q.
Are there any considerations for images that use others’ creative works? E.g. an image of someone else’s artwork or text.
A.
If your image features others’ creative works, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have obtained the relevant permissions to submit the image and allow UAL to use the image as stated in paragraph 6b of the Competition Official Rules.
Q.
Can I get PD credit for attending an Images of Research workshop?
A.
Yes, you can get PD credit for attending an Images of Research workshop.
Register for one of two virtual workshops:
Q.
Who judges the entries?
A.
The entries are judged by an interdisciplinary panel of 5-7 people. The panel consists of faculty from various disciplines, 1-2 GSA reps, and a library representative. It can also include other campus community members and community members with expertise in art & design. A new panel of judges is constructed every year.
Q.
How are the winners and semifinalists selected?
A.
Images that have met the technical requirements will be judged according to the following competition criteria:
- Overall originality/creativity
- Aesthetic appeal of image
- Relationship between image and entrant’s research
- Clarity of written description and title
Within the context of the above criteria, all aspects of qualifying Entry Submissions are considered, including typos, exceeding the maximum character count, etc. For additional information please visit the Preparing Your Entry and Competition Official Rules pages.
Q.
How is the People’s Choice winner chosen?
A.
The People’s Choice voting is open to the public and includes the semifinalist images, as chosen by the judges. The image with the highest number of votes will be declared the People’s Choice Winner.
Q.
Are there examples of previous submissions that I can look at?
A.
Examples of past winning and semifinalist entries can be found on the Past Competitions page, in the IOR 2020 Virtual Exhibit, and in the Images of Research Competition collection in ERA.
If you still have questions, please see Competition Official Rules (our full rules and regulations) and Preparing Your Entry. For questions not answered on these pages, contact ior@ualberta.ca