The 2026 Young PublisherCompetition will be hosted at theSADA Dental & Oral Health Congress & Exhibition 2026, which will be held from the 21 – 23 August 2026 at the CTICC, Cape Town.
Eligible primary applicants must be an undergraduate or postgraduate student. To enter the competition, E-posters will be submitted and then reviewed to determine the finalists, who will then be invited to compile a Power Point/End-note presentation for judging at the congress.
Digital posters (E-Posters) can be submitted by the following categories:
- Undergraduate research
- Postgraduate & non-degree research
IMPORTANT DATES FORM THE COMPETITION
E-poster Submission opens: 3 February 2026
E-poster Submission closes: 6 July 2026
Accepted E-poster letters sent to top 3 E-posters: 13 July 2026
Judging of finalist presentations (Power Point/Endnote): 20 July 2026
Presentation on Main Podium: 22 August 2026
Award Ceremony: 22 August 2026
The top three selected finalists, for each of the two categories, will be invited to a 20-minute (maximum) oral presentation session with the judges. The slot will comprise a 10-minute oral presentation slide show using PowerPoint, Endnote or Canva and 10-minute discussion/question session. English will be language for the E-posters as well as for the oral presentation. Answers given should be clear and concise reflecting an understanding of the subject matter.
ELIGIBLE RESEARCHERS
1. The principal candidate for both categories must be 35 years of age or younger at the time of the Young Publisher Competition.
2. Co-researchers can be older than 35. There can be a maximum of 6 co-authors.
3. Projects that have won prizes in other national or international competitions previously e.g., IADR are not eligible for entry
GUIDELINES FOR THE E-POSTER IN ORDER TO ENTER FOR THE COMPETITION
1. E-poster format and structure Word count limit - maximum 2000 words
- Title
- Background/Significance of research project
- Aims and objectives
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusions
- Images and table allowed
- Text size 14 Arial
2. All E-posters will be in digital format
JUDGING OF FINALIST ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT THE CONGRESS
Judges will follow the preselected criteria for the judging of the oral presentations and specific venue for presentations will be communicated to the finalists. Finalists should report to the judging venue at least 30 minutes before the Judging Session.
There will be one winner for each of the two categories and will be announced at the Gala dinner on Saturday, 22 August 2026 at CTICC, Cape Town.
The Young Publisher Competition judging criteria is as follows:
CRITERIA for judging of oral presentation
Appearance: Does the presentation make an impression on the viewer? Professional appearance; good flow of information; logical layout; easy to read; neatness. Is there any grammar or spelling mistake?
Title: Clear and concise; specific; adequate.
Background: Provides sufficient rationale for pursuing the study.
Aims and Objectives: Clearly stated and relevant.
Methods: Strong and appropriate for testing this hypothesis or fulfilling the study objective.
Ethics: Research ethical considerations appropriately addressed
Results: Quality of the graphs, tables and figures; complexity of the results; validity of these statistical methods.
Discussion: Shows a rational understanding of the results and literature.
Conclusions: Reflective of the Aims and Objectives; supported by data; consistent with the hypothesis being tested. Are the limitations of study/suggestions for future research identified?
Scientific content: Relevant; contributing to the advancement of Dentistry.
AWARD CEREMONY
Finalists will be invited with their partners (partner's travel expenses will not be covered to attend the Gala Awards Function on 22 August 2026 when the winner, for each of the two categories, will be announced.
SADA YOUNG PUBLISHER AWARD
1st Category: Undergraduate research
The first prize will include the following:
• Award winner/s shall be announced in the SADJ
• Free SADA membership for 2027
• Cash Prize of R6000.
• Free attendance at the SADA Dental & Oral Congress and Exhibition for the following year
The second prize will include the following:
• Cash Prize of R3000
2nd Category: Postgraduate- and non-degree research
The first prize will include the following:
• Award winner/s shall be announced in the SADJ
• Free SADA membership for 2027
• Cash Prize of R6000
• Free attendance at the SADA Dental & Oral Congress and Exhibition for the following year
• 4 x SADA Branch Event speaker slots during 2026 /2027 (expenses for travelling will be covered by SADA)
The second prize will include the following:
• Cash Prize of R3000
Please send E-posters to these email addresses:
• Prof Dirk Smit dsmit@uwc.ac.za
• Prof Riaan Mulder drriaanmulder@gmail.com
Prof Riaan Mulder - SADA Scientific Advisory Convener 2026
Full details available in this document:
YDC - PUBLISHER COMPETITION GUIDELINES 2026.pdf
