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The field of cybersecurity is evolving and changing, with new threats and technologies emerging. This contest aims to help you learn more about cybersecurity by engaging with your peers. By participating, you can improve your communication skills, which will be valuable for future projects, engage with industry leaders, lay a foundation for a future dissertation, or even win a prize. You can team up with one other person to enter the contest. High school and college students are eligible to participate in the competition. Exceptional entries will have the chance to present their work at the Cyber Security and Awareness Fair, based on the quality of their abstract and poster drafts. Initial entries include an abstract and poster draft image. Those chosen for the final competition will need to attend the event on October 7 with their final poster presentation printed and mounted.

Poster Contest Presentations will be held in Ursa Major from 10 a.m. to noon.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Poster submission deadline is September 30.
• Accepted posters and their teams will be notified on October 1.
• Judging will take place during CSAF on October 7.
• Poster contest results emailed and posted to this webpage on October 15.

Eligibility

High School Students

• High school students must include a letter from a sponsoring teacher and the teacher's email address when submitting their abstract and draft image of the poster.
• If a contestant is a minor, we require a parent guardian form to be on file. See the link at the end of this page.

College Students

• Undergraduate and graduate college students currently enrolled at an accredited college listed on the with an .edu email address that is active for the semester or quarter of the contest.

Prizes

Generously sponsored by the .

• The Cyber Security and Awareness Fair committee will award each winner after the event. If it is a team, the award amount will be divided among the team members.

• Depending on the size of the award, taxes may be applicable and are the responsibility of the winner(s).

• All decision(s) of the judge(s) is/are final.

Anticipated prize amounts: 

• 1st place: $1500
• 2nd place: $1250
• 3rd place: $1000
• 4th place: $750
• 5th place: $500 

Initial entry

• One page abstract, including title, abstract description, and two citations within the past two years.
  • High school students must include a letter from a sponsoring teacher along with the teacher's high school email address.
  • Organize the abstract with the following headings where appropriate, as explained below: title, purpose, methods, results, and conclusions.
  • Check for proper spelling and grammar.
  • Use a standard typeface, such as Times Roman, with a font size of 12, single-spaced.
  • It is important to keep nonstandard abbreviations/acronyms to a minimum to allow for readability and understanding.
  • Do not include tables, figures, or graphs in the abstract. Such content is appropriate for the poster.
  • Keep the abstract between 400 and 500 words, summarizing the overall objectives presented in the poster.
• Digital DRAFT of your poster design (.ppt)
  • You can use any of these 36" high x 48" templates, and your school's logo is included in the top left corner.
  • .
• Questions regarding submission issues, , or email cyberfair@cpp.edu.

Final entry

Physical poster

• Shall consist of a standard 36" high x 48" wide poster board based on the template chosen for the submission.
• The top left corner of the poster must have your school's logo, presenter(s) name(s), and age(s)
• The poster session transcends the conventional question-and-answer format. Therefore, we strongly encourage participants to prepare concise oral summaries of their posters, which they will present to the audience alongside their displays. These summaries will facilitate a deeper understanding of the work presented and foster engagement from attendees.

Day of the event

• If your poster is accepted for judging, please arrive on campus by 9:00 a.m. to set up your poster.
• A team of judges coming from industry leaders, government agencies, and education will visit your poster between 10 a.m. and noon for judging.
• You and/or your team must be prepared to answer questions from a wide range of perspectives. Be ready to discuss your research in depth.

Sample Research Topics

You are welcome to choose any topic related to cybersecurity; these are only ideas to get you started:

• Securing Critical Infrastructure
• Ethical Dilemma of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity
• The evolution of Social Engineering
• Digital Supply Chains
• Data Driven Automation of Cybersecurity
• Smart Cities and SCADA, preventing cyber attacks
• The Privacy Paradox: Balancing Convenience and Privacy in the Digital Age
• Biohacking: Protecting the Future of Healthcare
• Algorithmic Bias
• How Surveillance Capitalism Exploits Our Data
• ML-based attacks
• Multi-factor authentication attacks
• Digital Forensics and Incident Response
• Post Quantum computing/AI threat landscape
• Legal Frameworks for Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence

Submissions will be evaluated by the judges using the following criteria.

• Relevance to the field of cybersecurity, information assurance, and forensics.
• Does the abstract establish how the topic fits into a larger context?
• Degree of originality - Originality is indispensable to the processes of creation and innovation at all levels. In evaluating originality, consider the three elements of scientific work: hypothesis, methods, and results.
• Submissions must be founded on an original hypothesis, supported by research using scientific methods, and should present the results as a novel idea. Instead of merely summarizing existing knowledge, does this entry generate new insights through observations, experiments, or innovative approaches to solving existing problems in the fields of cybersecurity, information assurance, or forensics?
• Does the poster show originality or creativity in research design and/or interpretation?
• Does it address a new problem, or an old problem in a new way?
• Technical depth - This will measure whether the presenter(s) have completed a thorough review of the existing literature to present adequate information to the audience and be able to answer questions from the audience.
• The overall quality of the submission - This attempts to evaluate the overall impression of the student's research achievement.
• Was there evidence of progress towards the goals & objectives?
• Was there evidence that the project led to learning beyond the classroom?

Video (Optional)

• The maximum duration is 8 minutes to present the poster and explain the topic.
• Each team member should present their part of the video within the allotted time.
• Visual materials must consist of the abstract content and the poster only.
• Make sure the content is capable of being easily read on a screen.

Video Recommendations

• Dress professionally.
• Double-check your audio and lighting.
• Establish eye contact as if you were in a physical room.
• State the learning objective or statement of the problem, along with its economic, social, and/or environmental implications for the international cybersecurity community.
• Prepare a short statement to walk the viewers through your figures to discuss your project.
• Point to specific parts of your poster as you explain your project.
• Speak clearly to the viewers, not your poster.
• Keep in mind that you likely know much more about your project than the viewers. Don't assume knowledge on their part.
• Presentations should be discussed, rather than read verbatim.
• Smile, relax, and have fun!

References

• 2025 Cybersecurity and Awareness Fair Poster Contest BootCamp Slide Presentation (PDF)