The Section for Statistics in Defense and National Security (SDNS) is soliciting entries for the 2026 SDNS Student Research Paper competition.
This competition is open to all undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers that are at most 2 years beyond their terminal degree. The author must be a member of the SDNS Section or should join the section at the time of the paper submission. The contribution may be a theoretical development or it may cover any of the numerous applications related to defense or national security. Papers that have been accepted for publication are eligible for the competition. The winning author will receive a certificate and a travel award of $500 to defray costs for attending and presenting their work as part of a conference session sponsored by SDNS in 2026.
Entrants should submit the following:
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A list of authors and contact information (the contestant must be the first author).
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A double-spaced manuscript in two versions: a regular manuscript with author information and a blinded manuscript without author information or other identifying information (such as references). Both versions should include an abstract.
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A reference letter from a faculty member familiar with the submitted work, stating the status of the applicant and the publication status of the manuscript.
Entries should be sent to the SDNS Student Paper Award Committee via email at SDNS.Amstat@gmail.com. The email should include the two versions of the completed manuscript as attachments in PDF format. All entries must arrive by November 15, 2025. Please include the words "SDNS 2026 Student Paper Competition" in the subject line of the email.
Manuscripts will be judged based on relevance and interest of the subject matter, the quality of writing, and the quality of the research itself. The winner will be announced by January 15, 2026 and will be required to submit their abstract to JSM by February 3, 2026.
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Elise Roberts
Statistics in Defense and National Security
https://community.amstat.org/sdns/homeSDNS.AmStat@gmail.com------------------------------