The SEAC Student Poster Award recognizes outstanding undergraduate and graduate student research presented in poster format at the annual meeting. The award seeks to encourage the dissemination of archaeological research through visual communication, fosters professional development among student scholars, and acknowledges excellence in poster design, presentation, and contribution to archaeological knowledge. The award is composed of two categories: Undergraduate Student Poster Award and Graduate Student Poster Award.

Prizes include:

$400 each for the undergraduate and graduate competitions.

Who May Apply?

Any person currently enrolled in an academic, degree-granting program (undergraduate or graduate) or having graduated since the last SEAC meeting may submit a poster to the competition. Posters can have multiple student authors and one advisor specified on the poster. Please put (advisor) after their name in the author list on the poster only. All student authors must be present at the upcoming annual meeting and at their poster during their scheduled session. Presenting a paper at the meeting requires membership in SEAC, and requires that a poster proposal and abstract be submitted to the Meeting Organizer by the deadline for submissions.

To enter the Competition, posters must be submitted in advance of the meeting to the committee appointed by the Executive Board of the Archaeological Conference (see How to Apply below). To be eligible, your poster must be part of the program.

How to Apply

For this inaugural year (2026), we would like you to send in a letter of intent to participate which includes the items described below by October 14th sent to the Chair of the Student Affairs Committee, Anthony Farace. PDFs of final posters are due on October 30th to the Chair of the Student Poster Competition.

You may email a PDF or PowerPoint version to the Chair of the Student Poster Competition Committee The poster reviewed for the Competition must have THE SAME CONTENT as presented at the Annual Meeting. All materials must be clearly visible in the document and fit within the poster frames. A cover letter should accompany the entry, containing a representation of the participant(s) current status in a degree program with the abstract attached. Posters will be evaluated using a standardized rubric  based on the following criteria: Clarity of Research Question(s) and Objectives, Organization and Flow of Content, Effectiveness of Visual Design and Use of Space, Clarity of Oral Presentation and Ability to Address Questions, and Contribution to Archaeological Thought.

The winners of the undergraduate and graduate competition will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference. The winners will receive their prizes the following day. The Committee reserves the prerogative to defer the Competition and award in the event of a shortage of entries.