S3 Awards

The most outstanding SDSU Student Symposium presentations in research, scholarship and creative activity are recognized at an awards ceremony on a day following the main day of presentations. Award winners, family and friends of winners, mentors and judges are welcome to attend the awards ceremony.

Award Categories

Roughly $20,000 in prize money is given out to students who present at the SDSU Student Symposium. Students will be awarded the highest award they qualify for, based on judge scores and project descriptions for awards that require them, but will not be considered for additional awards.

Nine President’s Awards of $500 will be given to the most outstanding oral presentations across all disciplines. Those receiving a President’s Award will represent SDSU at the California State University (CSU) Student Research Competition.

One President’s Award for the Arts of $500 will be given to an outstanding presentation in the performance arts or exhibit category. The awardee will represent SDSU at the California State University (CSU) Student Research Competition.

Sponsored by the Charles Wei-hsun Fu Foundation and the San Diego State Department of Philosophy, one award of $500 will be given for students doing excellent research in the field of philosophy. This award encourages a special niche where philosophy students can shine. This award is open to all students, regardless of their major, who are engaged in philosophical research that are presenting an oral project at S3.

Four Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Mentor Awards of $500 will be given to recognize excellence in student mentoring (2 for mentors of undergraduates and 2 for mentors of graduate students). Mentor awardees are nominated by students when they submit their presentation for the symposium.

Sponsored by the Office of Academic Community Engagement at SDSU, this award goes to students presenting excellent community engaged research at S³. Community engaged research is a collaborative research approach where researchers partner with community members, organizations, and other stakeholders throughout the entire research process—from developing research questions to disseminating findings—to co-create knowledge and address community-identified needs. It emphasizes reciprocal partnerships, shared power, and mutual accountability to produce more relevant, trusted, and impactful research that improves health and well-being in those communities. This award is open to all undergraduate students, regardless of their major or degree objectives, or method of presentation (e.g., oral presentation, poster). One award of $500 will be given.

Sixteen Provost's Awards of $250 will be given for the top two presentations (excluding oral presentations) in each college. 

The Women-in-Engineering (WIE) award has been presented during the annual SDSU Student Symposium (S3) event since 2015. This award aims to promote women student engineers/researchers from the College of Engineering at the undergraduate (B.S.) and graduate (M.S./Ph.D.) degree education levels. The first, second and third prize amounts are $250, $200 and $150, respectively and will be awarded to the top three women engineers/researchers from the College of Engineering based on S3 oral/poster judging criteria. This award is sponsored by Prof. Satish Sharma, Director, Antenna and Microwave Lab (AML), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Diversity, social justice, and inclusion are values at the core of our university mission. Two awards of $250 each will be given to the best oral or poster presentations that exemplify our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. All student presenters are eligible for this award, regardless of topic or student identities.

Sponsored by the Office of Hispanic Serving Institution Affairs, this student research award goes to the top students whose research furthers our understanding of serving Latinx, Chicanx, or Hispanic students in higher education, or contributes to the commitment to honor SDSU's designation as an Hispanic Serving Institution. Two awards of $250 will be given.

Sponsored by the Office of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANHPISI) Affairs, this award goes to the top students whose research and scholarly pursuits furthers and/or advances our understanding of AANHPI communities, histories, and/or heritages. Award-winning projects will contribute to enhancing SDSU’s designation as an AANHPISI. Two awards of $250 will be given.

One Arts Exhibit Award of $250 will be given to the best art exhibit. Art exhibits can showcase a wide range of artistic mediums including: Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Digital Art, Mixed Media, Film, Textiles, Ceramics, Glass, Jewelry, and Installations.

Two Outstanding Creative and Performing Arts Awards of $250 will be given for the best performance presentation. Performing arts are artistic disciplines that involve live performances, such as:

  • Theater: plays, musicals and other dramatic productions
  • Music: concerts, operas, symphonies, and other musical performances
  • Dance: Ballet, modern dance, jazz dance, and other dance forms
  • Opera: A dramatic musical work, typically in several acts, combining singing, acting and orchestral music

Two awards of $250 each will be given for the top presentations by students who have participated in the SDSU Undergraduate RSCA Program (SURP).

Four RSCA Awards of $250 each will be given for two undergraduate and two graduate presentations across all disciplines recognizing scholarly achievement.

Two Library Awards of $250 each will be given for presentations. Awards will go to the best projects using University Library resources and collections, including, but not limited to printed resources, databases, primary resources, and materials in all media.

Sixteen Dean’s Awards of $200 each will be given for all presentation types. Awards will go to the top presentations in each college.

Sponsored by the School of Journalism and Media Studies and the Media, Identity, & Communication (MIC) Innovation Research Lab, this student research award goes to the top students whose research furthers our understanding of the ways identity, culture, and communication intersect within society amid political tensions, technological change, and the rise of tools like AI. Two awards of $100 will be given: one for a graduate student and one for an undergraduate student. Poster and oral presentations qualify for these awards.

The SDSU VISTA (Valuing Incarcerated Scholars through Academia) program is a Bachelor of Arts degree initiative designed to empower incarcerated students. SDSU VISTA students showcase their work through poster presentations. These presentations undergo peer review by SDSU Criminal Justice students enrolled in CJ 431 (Field Study in Local Corrections). The top two presentations, as determined by the peer review process, will receive the SDSU VISTA Student Presentation Awards. The authors of these winning presentations will be eligible for interviews and have their stories featured in SDSU research communication outlets, providing a valuable platform to share their academic achievements and perspectives.