As a key part of the International Energy Conference 2026 (IEC 2026), the Energizing Future Competition invites undergraduate and graduate students to showcase original research across a wide range of energy-related topics.
Student presenters in standard technical sessions are automatically enrolled in the Energizing Future Student Competition.
The Energizing Future Competition is being held for the first time at IEC 2026. It aims to promote knowledge exchange and innovation among students, academics, and industry professionals in all energy-related fields.
Student presentations are embedded directly into regular technical sessions. There are no separate competition sessions: instead, eligible student presenters in these sessions will be evaluated and recognized based on the competition criteria.
The Energizing Future Student Competition is integrated into the regular IEC 2026 technical sessions. There will be no separate sessions dedicated solely to the competition.
Please follow the general guideline for regular abstract submission as outlined on the IEC 2026 Submission page.
A review panel will evaluate all submitted abstracts. Selected authors will be invited to submit a full paper and present in-person during the conference.
A panel of judges—including faculty members, industry professionals, and senior researchers—will attend student presentations and evaluate them live.
Evaluation focuses on:
Awards will be presented at the end of each technical session. Each session will have 1–2 student awards:
Sponsor names will be printed on the certificates.
Sessions are open to all conference participants, providing a great opportunity for student presenters to gain visibility, practice public speaking, and build professional networks.
The total score is 100 points, consisting of three core dimensions: Innovation, Significance, and Lucidity. Each dimension has a detailed quantitative scoring framework.
| Score | Grade | Specific evaluation criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 36–40 | A+ | Proposes a brand-new theory, model, technological path, or research paradigm, making a fundamental breakthrough in the existing knowledge system and possessing the potential to lead future research directions. |
| 31–35 | A | The existing theory or technology has undergone profound innovation or remarkable interdisciplinary integration, solving a key problem in the field and achieving significant breakthroughs. |
| 26–30 | A− | Effective and important improvements have been made to existing methods, models, or technologies, resulting in significant performance enhancements, or successfully expanding their application boundaries. |
| 21–25 | B | Reasonable optimization or expansion within the existing framework, with new insights but a relatively single dimension of innovation, or confirmatory research on specific cases. |
| Score | Grade | Specific evaluation criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 27–30 | A+ | This research directly addresses major challenges in the field of oil and gas engineering, and its findings possess transformative theoretical value or practical application prospects. |
| 23–26 | A | The research addresses core issues in a significant subfield of energy, with clear conclusions and substantial contributions to the advancement of the field. |
| 19–22 | A− | The research question is clear, and the results can effectively fill a specific knowledge gap and provide clear reference and learning value for peer researchers. |
| 15–18 | B | The research scope is relatively narrow, and its importance is limited to a specific technical point, and may lack breadth and universality of theoretical or practical value. |
| Score | Grade | Specific evaluation criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 27–30 | A+ | The structure is rigorous, with a clear and smooth logical chain; the abstract is concise, the introduction is captivating, the discussion is powerful, and the conclusion is profound; the language is precise and professional; charts and graphs are informative and professionally designed; overall, the text is highly readable. |
| 23–26 | A | The structure is complete and reasonable, with coherent logic; the language is accurate and fluent; charts and diagrams are clear and effectively support the arguments; it is easy to understand and follow. |
| 19–22 | B+ | The structure is basically reasonable, but the cohesion of some paragraphs can be optimized; language expression is basically accurate, with occasional flaws; charts and text are matched, but could be more refined. |
| 15–18 | B | The research content can be conveyed, but the structure is loose and there are logical leaps; language expression is not concise enough, with grammatical or lexical errors that affect the reading experience. |
In general, if the total number of student presenters in a session is less than four, one winner will be selected. If a session has more than four student presenters, two winners will be selected.
$600 cash prize
+ plaque
+ certificate
$400 cash prize
+ plaque
+ certificate
The review committee is appointed by the presidium of the conference. A group of 5–7 domestic and foreign experts, all renowned in the field of petroleum engineering and possessing a strong sense of responsibility, will be invited to form an independent review body.
This committee is responsible for the final review work, ensuring the authority, transparency, and fairness of the Energizing Future Student Competition.