Frequently Asked Questions

I won an award in a prevous Innovations competition. Am I eligible in 2012?
Possibly. Here are the possible scenarios that would make you eligible or ineligible:

  • If you won a first-place award in the Open Competition, you are not eligible.
  • If you won a second-place award in the Open Competition, you are eligible for a first-place award in the Open Competition. You are not eligible for another second-place award in the Open Competition, or an award in the Competition for Universities with Less than $X Million in Research Expenditures or the Undergraduate Competition.
  • If you won an award in the Competition for Universities with Less than $X Million in Research Expenditures, you are eligible for an award in the Open Competition. You are not eligible for another award in the Competition for Universities with Less than $X Million in Research Expenditures or the Undergraduate Competition.
  • If you won an award in the Undergraduate Competition, you are eligible for an award in the Open Competition or the Competition for Universities with Less than $X Million in Research Expenditures. You are not eligible for another award in the Undergraduate Competition.

Can I resubmit a paper I submitted for a previous Innovations competition?
A paper that has been previously submitted can be resubmitted if its publication or presentation date falls within the 2012 requirements. However, any paper that has won an Innovations award is not eligible for resubmission.

Can an applicant submit more than one paper?
Yes. An applicant can receive only one prize, but may submit more than one paper for consideration.

I'm wondering about the publication rules: I understand that a paper must have been accepted for publication or presentation BEFORE entering the competition, is that correct?
Yes, that is correct.

I am wondering about what counts as a publication (i.e. are peer-reviewed conference papers acceptable, or does the publication outlet need to be a journal)?
Conference papers as well as journal articles will be considered. We encourage anyone who thinks they may have an eligible paper to apply.

I have a paper which has been accepted for a conference later this year and it will not be officially published until the conference. Can I submit this paper?
You may submit a paper if it has been accepted, but has not yet been published or presented. On the application under "Further explanation for any of the above responses" explain that the paper has been accepted and give a projected date of publication or presentation.

Does the paper submitted to the competition need to be the same as the one published or presented? My paper has been submitted and accepted but I've done some research and adjusted some of the results, and I wonder if it's allowable for my submission to reflect that.
Submit the paper exactly as originally published. On the application under "Further explanation for any of the above responses" explain that the original paper has been submitted and that a paper with the adjusted results is available upon request. You might also explain which parts have changed or give a general description of the changed results. Then provide the updated paper if it is requested.

I am a student and also a DOE employee. Am I eligible for the Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards?
Unfortunately, DOE employees are not eligible for these awards.

How do I submit my paper to present at the ANS Winter Meeting "Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research – a Student Competition" session?
One of the perks of the Innovations award is that the first place, open competition winners will be presenting papers at the ANS Winter Meeting in a special session – "Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research – a Student Competition." Note that if you win a first-place, open competition award, you must submit a summary in application to the ANS Winter Meeting. This is in ADDITION TO and SEPARATE FROM the application for the Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards Competition. Please do not submit a summary to ANS in this category unless you have won a first-place open-competition award.

Your submission to the ANS Winter Meeting should be based upon the research you submitted in your Innovations application but it should not be identical to the Innovations-award-winning paper that has already been published. It is also important to note that the ANS has very specific guidelines and those guidelines must be followed. ANS also has a template and the ANS template should be used.

Who should submit a summary to the ANS Winter Meeting?
All open-competition, first-place winners.

What do you submit?
A summary to the ANS Winter Meeting to present your most up-to-date research (based-upon but, not-identical-to) from the paper that won an Innovations award. You must use the ANS Guidelines and the ANS template.

When do you need to submit to ANS?
Submit your summary to ANS immediately after the Innovations awards have been announced and definitely before the ANS Winter Meeting application deadline (projected to be June 15, 2012). Confirm the ANS application deadline on the ans.org website.

When and where is the ANS Winter Meeting?
The ANS Winter Meeting is November 11-15, 2012 in San Diego.

The presenters at the ANS Winter Meeting are the first-place, open-competition award winners only. To keep things simple and ensure that the ANS receives only the award-winning summaries for the session, the "Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research – a Student Competition" is not listed in the call for papers. There will be a session available in the electronic paper submission and review system for Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research – a Student Competition.

If you have any questions, please let us know so that we may help you through the application process.