The annual Academic Festival is an opportunity for students to share their research and findings with the community.
This exciting event displays academic highlights that were researched, developed, and created throughout the 2021-2022 school year to the campus community, Penn State families, and the public.
Individual and group projects can cover a wide range of topics and can be shared as an informational exhibit, a research-based poster, an oral presentation, or a performance. The organizing committee welcomes all forms of academic or creative accomplishments including works of poetry, writing, artwork, and dance.
Prizes will be awarded in each category. Additional awards will be presented for University Libraries’ Information Literacy, and Sustainability (see Special Awards below for more details.)
Reasons to Participate
- Share your work with the campus and surrounding community
- Have fun while gaining valuable experience
- Develop connections with faculty and staff
- Contribute to your professional development; Enhance your resume for employment and/or graduate school
- Win prizes
Important Dates
The final deadline for submitting project proposals is March 18, 2022.
Project proposals will be reviewed in late March and students will receive further details by early April. Final project files must be submitted by Friday, April 15, 2022 (one full week before the event) to allow time for uploading and creating the compilation in ScholarSphere.
The project proposal application is at the bottom of this page. Before submitting your proposal, please be sure to review all project guidelines and judging criteria.
Guidelines and Judging Criteria
The Academic Festival provides four project categories for you to submit and display your work. Click on each category below to learn about the recommendations, guidelines, and suggestions for submitting projects. Prizes will be awarded in each category.
- Posters (research-based)
- Exhibits and displays (informational)
- Oral presentations
- Performances (creative/artistic, musical, theatrical)
Special Awards
- Library Literacy: An Information Literacy Award will be presented by the PSU Mont Alto Library. More information about the Information Literacy Award is available online. Research posters will be considered for this award and will be evaluated by members of the Library staff to determine recipients for this year’s award.
- Sustainability: In the online proposal form, students will be asked to connect their project to at least one of the 17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustainability Committee will review proposals and determine recipients to receive this year’s award.
2022 Academic Festival Project Proposal
The proposal form for the 2022 Academic Festival is closed.