A department-wide, trainee poster contest will take place on Friday, June 13, 2025 during the cocktail reception (6:00-7:30 PM) at The Newbury Hotel. This is a unique opportunity to discover and discuss developing research in all areas of ophthalmology from Harvard Ophthalmology's research labs.

Faculty should encourage their trainees to register for the contest and share their work.

ELIGIBILITY & PRIZES

Posters will be grouped into categories by subspecialty area of interest with a cash prize awarded for the top poster in each category. Please note, the final categories will be determined by the number of submissions.

The winners in the four final categories will be announced during dinner and each winner will be awarded $250.

Eligibility Requirements:

• All current residents, research fellows, clinical fellows, and other students at Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology are eligible to participate.

• Work that has been presented at other meetings (including ARVO) is welcome.

• Attendance for the entire meeting (Thursday and Friday, June 12-13, 2025) is required.

• Trainees must be present at their poster for the entire Friday night reception (6:00-7:30 PM).

• Trainees must be present at the dinner starting at 7:30 PM.

DEADLINES

May 12, 2025 – Contest Registrations Due

May 16, 2025 – Contest Finalists Notified

May 25, 2025 – Poster Artwork Due

REGISTRATION & ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Trainees can submit a poster abstract through this trainee registration link. If your poster is selected, you will receive a confirmation email with further instructions.

STEP 1: On the Tickets page, be sure to select " Day 1 - Annual Meeting", “Day 2 - Alumni Reunion”, and “Day 2 - Cocktail Reception and Gala Dinner.”

STEP 2: On the Attendee Info page, after providing your contact details you will be asked if you would like to participate in the Trainee Poster Contest, select "Yes" and complete the required fields, including:

• All Authors (full names and institutions)
• Title
• Purpose (max 700 characters*)
• Methods (max 1500 characters*)
• Results (max 700 characters*)
• Conclusion (max 700 characters*)
• Poster Type (Basic Science or Clinical)
• Research Focus

*Please note: If your abstract is longer then the max allowable characters, we will edit your abstract at our own discretion.

POSTER DESIGN

We will be utilizing easels to display the trainee posters (instead of the traditional bulletin boards). The easels require that the trainee posters to be mounted onto a firm backing, so we are offering to provide printing, mounting, and delivery to The Newbury hotel, free of charge (see POSTER PRINTING below).

The image area of the poster is a maximum of 36 inches wide (100 cm) by 24 inches tall (60.96 cm) in a landscape format. Materials, including the title, may not extend beyond the image area. 

When designing your poster, make sure to set your poster dimension before you start. (If using PowerPoint, you can click on the “Design” tab, then click on the “Slide Size” dropdown, select “Custom Slide Size” and enter 36 in width x 24 in height) 

Guidelines & Tips:

• Keep materials clear and concise.

• Include complete disclosures relevant to the abstract’s subject matter (see Disclosures below).
  

• Produce legible material from a distance of at least three feet.
  

• Use large print and shade or color block letters, when possible.
  

• For legibility, a minimum font size of 28 points and a maximum of 600 words are recommended.
  

• Page margins of at least 0.5 in (1.27 cm) are encouraged, especially for those planning to print their own posters.
  

• Avoid using blue-green and magenta-violet, which appear gray to red-green color-blind colleagues.
  

• Avoid using red or green - up to 5% of the population is red-green color blind.

• Use a layout for the poster that follows the main headings used in the abstract (i.e. Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusion).
  

• Do not use industry logos, registered trademarks, trade names, or product-group messages of any defined commercial interests (see DISCLOSURES below).
  

• Including e-mail address on the poster will assist viewers with contacting poster presenters later.

DISCLOSURES

Full disclosure must be listed on the poster. Presenting authors must fully disclose to the session participants all commercial relationships with ineligible companies that existed within the past 24 months and non-remunerative positions that may create a conflict of interest. Full disclosure will include the name(s) of the commercial interest and the nature of the relationship(s). Indicate “None” if no relationships exist.

POSTER PRINTING

Free Option:

• Poster printing and delivery is available free of charge to contestants who email their artwork in advance (as a PDF file).

• Trainees who wish to take advantage of this opportunity, must send their final artwork by Friday, May 25, 2025 (see POSTER DESIGN above) to Ophthalmology_Events@meei.harvard.edu.

• The day of the contest, these trainees can arrive by 6:00 PM at The Newbury Hotel where they will be directed to their poster location.  

Self-pay Option:

• Trainees may also choose to print and mount their posters at their own expense.

• Please note that printing and mounting posters can cost $75-$100 per poster.

• The final poster dimensions will need to be 36 inches wide x 24 inches tall (see POSTER DESIGN above) 

• Since the easels do not have backing, the posters need to be mounted onto a foam core board.

• Trainees who wish to print their own poster will need to notify the meeting organizers by Friday, May 25, 2025.

• The day of the contest, these trainees need to arrive by 5:40 PM at The Newbury Hotel, so they can be directed to their designated location and place their poster. 

PRESENTATION

The presenting author is expected to present and prepared to discuss their poster with attendees and the poster contest judges throughout the cocktail reception on Friday, June 13, 2025 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.

All presenters are expected to:

• Present the same work described in the abstract, with the same title and content, and will reveal the essential structure (DNA sequence), elements of a novel compound, or sufficient identification of new gene compounds. 

• Disclose commercial relationships. A commercial interest is any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing healthcare goods or services consumed by or used on patients.

• Design a presentation that is independent, objective, scientifically rigorous, balanced, and free of bias.

• Assure that scientific studies utilized or referenced in their presentation are from sources acceptable to the scientific and medical community.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires disclosures to be made to session participants of unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices contained in presentations. You must disclose any such uses when discussing unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices.

When speaking with the judges, you will need to keep your conversation to 5 minutes only. You will be judged by your ability to present your work in a clear and concise manner within the allotted time frame.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions, please email Ophthalmology_Events@meei.harvard.edu.