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.

The 2025 Awards Ceremony will be held in the morning on Saturday March 8, 2025.

The awards are as follows:

President’s 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.

President’s Award for the Arts
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.

Charles Wei-hsun Fu Foundation Philosophy Award 
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.

Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Mentor Awards
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.

Provost’s Awards
Sixteen Provost's Awards of $250 will be given for the top two oral and poster presentations in each college. 

Women in Engineering Awards
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.

Research Awards for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
Diversity, social justice, and inclusion are values at the core of our university mission. Five 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.

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Award 
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.

Arts Alive Award
The S3 Arts Alive SDSU Award, Sponsored by Arts Alive, is offered to an outstanding student from any academic program who integrates the arts as part of an interdisciplinary research project that addresses cultural or sociopolitical issues. One award of $250 will be given.

Arts Exhibit Award
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.

Outstanding Performance and Visual Arts Award
One Outstanding Performance and Visual Arts Award 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

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

Sustainability Award 
The primary mission of the Center for Regional Sustainability (CRS) is to advance sustainability and environmental justice through regional collaborations in community-based participatory research, stewardship, and outreach to support our region in becoming a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable place to live, work and play. CRS sponsors the SDSU Student Symposium Sustainability Award to recognize student work that focuses on creating a more just, equitable, and sustainable world by integrating vital environmental, social, and economic needs of the present while ensuring future prosperity. One award of $250 will be given. 

Library Awards
Five Library Awards of $250 each will be given for oral or poster 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.

Food Insecurity Awareness and Solutions Awards
Co-hosted by the Division of Research and Innovation and the Fowler College of Business, the Food Insecurity Special Session will showcase projects that focus on researching, understanding, and proposing solutions to food insecurity. Sponsored by the ZIP Launchpad, SDSU’s on campus business incubator, the Food Insecurity Awareness and Solutions Awards ($250 each) will be awarded  to one oral and one poster presentation from the Food Insecurity Special Session. These awards are open to students enrolled in courses across the university that incorporate discussions, presentations, individual and group projects focused on food, food access and food insecurity-related topics during the Fall 2024 semester or to students working on research related to this topic area.

Dean’s Awards
Sixteen Dean’s Awards of $200 each will be given for oral or poster presentations. Awards will go to the top presentations in each college.

Undergraduate Research Excellence Awards
Ten Undergraduate Research Excellence Awards of $150 each will be given for oral or poster presentations across all disciplines recognizing scholarly achievement.

*Please note– Students will be awarded the highest award they qualify for but will not be considered for additional awards.

Awards Archive

2024 S3 Award Recipients

2023 Award Recipients

2022 Award Recipients

2021 Award Recipients

2020 Award Recipients

2019 Award Recipients

2018 Award Recipients

2017 Award Recipients