The Undergraduate Research Competition provides a platform to showcase your marketing research in a fun and relaxed setting. Participation also presents an avenue to pursue ICC travel funding from your institution. Accepted research abstracts (following the template provided) will be digitally published on the AMA website as part of the ICC research proceedings along with the faculty research, ensuring wider dissemination of your valuable work.

See what past presenters had to say about their experience:

“I simply used research I had already completed from my market research class.  As a result – I secured funding from my university for ICC and I have something impactful to show potential employers in an interview” Participant, ICC 2024

“I never considered a career in research, but after leading a research project and presenting it at ICC, I pursued jobs in marketing research and was lucky enough to land one. That never would have happened if I hadn’t done the research leading up to ICC.” – Participant, ICC 2023

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Submission Requirements

• Submissions are open to current AMA national undergraduate student members. Participants can be either an individual student or teams of two students. (Note: faculty members are not allowed to present with students, and the undergraduate research entry cannot be resubmitted by a faculty member to present in the ICC faculty research session).
• A maximum of one entry from each university may be judged and eligible for awards. If more than one abstract from any school is submitted, the Chapter’s faculty advisor will be asked to select the one entry that will be judged.
• Only research from the current academic year may be submitted and no current case competition research may be entered.

Research Abstract Guidelines:

To prepare your undergraduate research submission please follow the outline provided below. Entries that do not meet the requirements will be disqualified.

All Undergraduate Research Extended Abstracts MUST be submitted in PDF, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with 1-inch margins.

Please begin with the following elements:

1. TITLE (bold, all caps).

2. Author Names, University Affiliations – No titles (Dr., Mr., Ms., etc.) should be used, nor should rank be indicated.

3. Faculty Advisor’s Name

4. Contact Info: Under author names (maximum of two), please include the following statement for the lead author:

“For further information, please contact Lead Author’s Full Name, Title, Affiliation (Email Address).”

4. Keywords: Please provide a list of 4-5 keywords.

5. Description: Please provide a one (1) sentence description of your paper.

Please then standardize the organization and content of your Research Abstract in accordance with the following headings:

6. Lead Heading: RESEARCH ABSTRACT (bold, centered, all caps)

*Please limit your content under each of these headings to no more than 200 words. Please use word count, as submissions in excess of this quantity could lead to disqualifications.

7. Heading One: Research Question (bold, left-aligned, title caps)* – Describe the research question that your research project is intended to answer and why it is being studied. Any subsequent questions may also be included.

8. Heading Two: Method and Data (bold, left-aligned, title caps)* – Describe how you went about answering the research question through your research. Methods can be quantitative, qualitative, or both. However, all research projects must include primary research in order to qualify for the competition.

9. Heading Three: Summary of Findings (bold, left-aligned, title caps)* – Describe the results of your analysis.

10. Heading Four: Key Contributions (bold, left-aligned, title caps)* – Describe the most important takeaways from your research. Consider what marketers could do with your results and what other research could come next.

View Undergraduate Research Sample: Sample Extended Abstract PDF

Reminders:

• Any entry using case competition related research will be disqualified.
• Research must be conducted during the current academic year.
• No reference list is necessary.

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Submission and Acceptance Process

1. All Undergraduate Research submissions will go through a reviewing process and the accepted submissions will receive an invitation to present and compete at ICC.
2. Accepted submission will require the undergrad students to present their research in-person via a printed posted on display at ICC. All presenters will be required to attend and register for the International Collegiate Conference and a tri-folder/canvas will be provided to present and display your research upon ICC check-in.
3. Students submitting entry for this competition must be presenters on the competition day (no substitutes).
   • Undergraduate Research presenters must register asap or by March 1st and attend the AMA International Collegiate Conference, March 12-14, 2026, Chicago.
4. Submit your entry when the call for submissions open.
   • If your chapter submits a team of two authors for the Undergraduate Research Competition, designate a primary lead contact who will manage the submission process and sign up via the Google Form sign up (this lead will be responsible for sharing important information to co-presenter).
5. The top Undergraduate Research Competition submissions will receive an invitation to present with further instruction in early March.
   • Invitation follow up will also include details on poster design and will be sent closer to ICC.
6. At ICC, multiple rounds of judging will occur. Further details will be provided in early Spring.
7. The winner will be announced during the Friday Awards Ceremony at ICC.

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Round Details

Poster Set-Up: Friday, March 13, 2026

Round 1: Friday, March 13, 2026

• During this session, poster authors are required to stand by their posters, ready to discuss their research and answer judges’ questions.
• Six posters will advance to the next round based on judges’ evaluations.

Final Round (Oral Presentation): Friday, March 13, 2026

• In the Final Round, the authors who advance will have 8 minutes to present and share their research using their poster as their presentation tool.
• Judges will have a final opportunity to review the posters and submit their scores to determine the ICC best undergraduate research submission and will be awarded during the Awards Ceremony on Friday night.

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How is the Research Judged?

The undergraduate research submissions will go through two rounds of judging.

1. All submissions / research abstracts are reviewed, then (if accepted)
2. Presentations with research poster are judged at ICC

Research Abstract Judging

The first phase of judging will be held after the call for submissions is closed and the chair will begin the judging process to determine what submissions are accepted and declined using the following judging criteria (research abstracts will be judged according to the following):

Research Question (20 points): 

•  Research question clearly stated, innovative and relevant, based on existing research, adds to our understanding.

Conceptualization (20 points):

• Concepts to be studied clearly defined, clarity on how to measure, based on existing research, clearly explained.

Methodology and Data (20 points):

• Clear plan for gathering data, sample identified and appropriate, data gathering instruments explained and appropriate, demonstrated rigor.

Results and Discussion (20 points):

• Clear presentation/statement of results, appropriate data analysis conducted, relevant results used to support discussion, reference back to research question.

Presentation (20 points):

• Logical outline/structure, professionally presented, well-written (grammar, typos), visually appealing.

Presentation with Research Poster Judging

The second phase of judging will take place in-person during the Undergraduate Research session where the students will present at the International Collegiate Conference (ICC).

Note: ICC in-person judging will be facilitated by volunteer judges (faculty advisors and special guests), and will use a 100-point evaluation rubric using the following five criteria:

Research question (20 points)

Conceptualization (20 points)

Methodology and Data (20 points)

Results and Discussion (20 points)

Presentation (20 points)

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Prize

The Undergraduate Research Competition session will identify the following winners:

• 1st Place: $250 and AMA Certificate
• 2nd Place: $200 and AMA Certificate
• 3rd Place: $100 and AMA Certificate

New: Check out the Undergraduate Research Competition presentations featured in the ICC Proceedings! Click on the link below to access.

• 2025 ICC Proceedings
• 2024 ICC Proceedings

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FAQs

Do I have to be registered for the 2026 AMA International Collegiate Conference to participate?
Yes, participation requires registration for the ICC as it is held in person at the conference.

Can my chapter submit multiple posters?
No, there is a limit of one poster presentation per collegiate chapter/university.

Questions?
Contact AMA Customer Support at: membersupport@ama.org.

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Call All AMA Volunteers!

Want to make an impact and support the next generation of marketers?

Here’s your chance – AMA is looking for volunteers to help judge our Collegiate Opportunities.

Learn more and sign up today, visit the AMA Collegiate Volunteer Page. 

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