Award Information
Awards range from $1,000-1,500. Co-presenters will split the prize in each respective category.
In keeping with the interdisciplinary spirit of this campus-wide event, PRD judges will evaluate presentations primarily on how effectively they communicate their research to a non-specialist audience. Judges include undergraduate and graduate alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the community. Twelve awards will be given for three-minute video presentations. Another six awards will be given to recognize presenters with a submitted video and who presented during the on-campus Showcase.
To be eligible for an award, videos should be three minutes or less. Presenters who received an award at a previous PRD are eligible to win awards again at future PRDs.
For more information on the evaluation criteria, you can view these PRD judges' rubrics:
General judging rubric
Arts & Humanities Award
Campus Impact Award
Graduate Student Impact Award
Innovation Award
Princeton University Library Award
Sustainability Research Award
Undergraduate International Research Award
Below are descriptions of awards for 2025:
All winners and videos
View award winners and videos from past Princeton Research Days:
Arts & Humanities Awards
Recognizes one presentation by an undergraduate student and another by a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher whose presentation illustrates the power of the arts and humanities to deepen cultural understanding, inspire action, or provoke thoughtful discussion. If a creative work, the presentation should convey the ideas and themes being explored in a way that explains the complex concepts in an engaging and accessible way. Projects that translate academic research into public dialogue or that engage diverse campus and community audiences are especially valued, highlighting the lasting impact of the humanities on both personal and societal levels.
The intent of this award is to recognize scholarship in the arts and/or humanities, including artistic practice and creative works. Students should showcase their arts and humanities projects to illuminate for non-specialist audiences the motivations, methods, approaches and outcomes of their scholarship or creative works.
Award value: $1,500
Orange & Black Awards
Awarded to presentations that receive the highest scores in the combined video + Showcase presentation category among all submissions. Presenters must participate in the live Showcase. Awardees will have their presentation featured on the PRD website and the presenter names will be announced during the live event. Five awards will be made, valued at $1,500 each.
Outstanding Presentation Awards
Awarded to presentations that receive the highest scores among all video submissions. Awardees will be featured during the live Awards Celebration and will have the opportunity to discuss their research with a moderator. Five awards will be made, valued at $1,500 each.
FitzRandolph Gate Award
A symbol of the University's openness to the worldwide community, the FitzRandolph Gate Award represents the presentation that is considered the “fan favorite” by the Princeton community. Two awards valued at $1,000 each are given for the video presentation and Showcase presentation with the most votes received.
Friends, family, members of the community, and other supporters are encouraged to vote for their favorite presentations. Voting for the favorite video presentation takes place over the weekend prior to Princeton Research Day. Voting for the favorite Showcase presentation takes place exclusively in person during the Showcase event on Princeton Research Day.
Sponsored Awards
Campus Impact Award
Sponsored by Campus Life
Recognizes one presentation by an undergraduate student, graduate student or post-doctoral researcher whose research positively impacts the Princeton University campus community in some way. In particular, research that has a demonstrable, meaningful and potentially lasting impact on some or all campus populations can be considered for this award. This could mean positively impacting the life of other students; illuminating something important about campus or certain campus populations that may lead to action; responding to an important campus need; and/or research that connects or impacts University community members across roles.
Award value: $1,500
Graduate Student Impact Award
Sponsored by the Graduate School
Recognizes one presentation by a graduate student whose presentation clearly communicates the potential positive impact their research has on enriching or improving our culture, community or society. The emphasis on clearly communicating the “potential” impact of one’s research to a general audience indicates that presentations will be evaluated on effective communication skills, not the merit of finished outcome.
Award value: $1,500
Innovation Awards
Sponsored by the Office of Innovation
One award will be given to an undergraduate research presentation, and another award will be given to a graduate student, postdoc or early career researcher presentation.
The Innovation Award recognizes our Princeton community members who model to the highest degree not only research and scholarship, but also applied and courageous creativity “in the service of humanity”. The Award celebrates innovators who bravely balance risk and reward, pivot when their pathways require re-direction--while still pursuing their "North Star" purpose and seek to scale solutions that are not just different, but better. In doing so, innovators build bridges, break barriers, and benefit society in tangible and lasting ways.
The judges will evaluate the research on its quality and creativity as well as the degree to which its storytelling clearly communicates its pathway to scale and broad, societal benefits to humanity.
Award value: $1,000
Princeton University Library (PUL) Awards
Sponsored by the Princeton University Library
Recognizes one presentation by an undergraduate student and another by a graduate student or postdoc who has clearly articulated thoughtful or innovative use of Library resources and services.
These awards would recognize research projects that make innovative use of library resources and services. For example, a project might use Special Collections materials, online exhibits, digitization services, support for research data management, GIS and maps, or statistical software support. A project might actively include partnership with a librarian, a subject specialist or a curator. A project might build on the Library’s commitment to surface hidden collections through curation, digitization, online exhibits and visualizations.
Award value: $1,000
Sustainability Research Award
Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability
Recognizes one presentation by an undergraduate student, graduate student, or post-doctoral researcher whose research positively advances Princeton University’s commitment to sustainability on campus and beyond. In particular, the Sustainability Research Award prioritizes research that uses the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability problem-solving or focuses on sustainability issues at local, regional, or global scales. The research in sustainability can span various disciplines, including social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and engineering, and can impact a range of subjects, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, responsible design, waste reduction, environmental justice, healthy habitats, stormwater management, food and agriculture, and transport.
Award value: $1,500
Undergraduate International Research Award
Sponsored by the Office of International Programs
Recognizes two undergraduate researchers whose projects best demonstrate the importance of international engagement and on-site research, illustrating that the best way to understand and contribute to our globalized world is to experience other places and other cultures firsthand. These awards will be given to the projects that demonstrate most clearly the importance of on-site, immersive research in a setting outside of the United States.
Award value: $1,000
Following the Awards Celebration, all submitted presentations are viewable by the general public on the PRD website and shared through University-sponsored channels.