Nominations will open July 31, 2024!

Purpose

The intent of this contest is to encourage and recognize writing by undergraduate students on topics relating to agronomy, crop science, and/or soil science. Students will gain experience in the entire publication process, from conception through execution. This contest honors Dr. Darrel S. Metcalfe for his leadership and commitment to students, championing quality communication skills.

Awards and Recognition

Winning entries (up to 3) will be published in Natural Sciences Education. The results of the contest will be announced in CSA News and the awards will be presented at the SASES awards program held during the Annual Meeting.

Authors will receive complimentary one-year subscriptions to the journal Natural Sciences Education and cash awards of $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place.

Eligibility

All undergraduate students who are members of ASA, CSSA, and/or SSSA are eligible to enter the contest, except those who have won first, second, or third prize previously in this contest. Entries must be submitted prior to a student's graduation.

Rules/Procedures

Review the official committee/contest guidelines for details. The following is a summary of the contest rules.

1. Up to three entries can be submitted and certified by a single faculty member/advisor.
2. Advisors will receive an email to certify the work submitted is that of the student.
3. Papers written for a class can be used in the competition. Each manuscript shall only be reviewed once. Only completed works should be reviewed. The review may include comments but may not include suggested verbiage. If the paper was graded for a class, this constitutes one review and the manuscript may not be reviewed again.
4. The entry should be written as a science communication article, such as that found in the CSA News magazine. Topics for science communication articles include an overview of the student’s research, a professional’s research and/or career, new/emerging fields of science or methodologies, or any topic that could be considered newsworthy in the field of science associated with ASA, CSSA, SSSA, and SASES.
   • The use of footnotes is not desirable; the use of subheadings is desirable.
   • The audience you are addressing should include those reading CSA News (i.e., members of ASA, CSSA, SSSA), which is a wide array of disciplines and educational levels.
5. Each manuscript must be an original effort by one author. The topic should be newsworthy, fresh, and contain information valuable to scientists, environmental professionals, agronomists, industry representatives, farmers, and/or farm advisors.
6. Manuscripts must be typed, double spaced, and target 1000 to 1500 words. Margins must be a minimum of 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides, and 12-point font should be used. Title pages, tables, illustrations, and captions are not counted as text and should be on separate pages. Manuscripts with more 1500 words will be disqualified. The title page is required and must give the name of author, university, title of the entry, the words "Darrell S. Metcalfe Manuscript Contest", and the year.
7. At least one, and preferably more, digital photographs, tables, graphs, or line drawings (or combination thereof) that illustrate the subject matter of the manuscript must be included. Original artwork is preferred, but free-stock photo sites are also acceptable (e.g., Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, Shutterstock, iStock) with appropriate citation and permissions granted. All photographs, graphs, and/or drawings must be at least 300 dpi.

Submission

Manuscripts and certification must be submitted online through the ASA Awards system by the deadline under “Metcalfe Manuscript Contest”. The faculty member/advisor listed on the student manuscript submission will receive a separate email requiring them to complete a certification form.

All certifications must be received by Oct. 16, 2024 or the manuscript will be disqualified.

Judging

Please reference the judging rubric to gain insight on specific requirements.

     1. Content 40 

               Appropriateness for intended audience (10), Accuracy (10), Quality and Originality (10), and Conclusions (10)

     2. Readability 25

               Clarity (10), Spelling and Punctuation (5), Sentence Structure (5), Paragraph Structure (5)

     3. Organization 15

               Material should be presented in a logical and concise order that is easy for readers to follow

     4. Figures, Tables, Images, or Illustrations 10 (Must have at least one)

               Quality, appropriateness for the paper with meaningful captions.

     5. Identification of Sources 5

               Statements of facts and use of data from other sources should be acknowledged by naming or referencing the sources in-text with subsequent full citation in the References section.

     6. Neatness 5

               General overall appearance of the paper.

      Total = 100

Contact

Contest Chair:

Eric Brennan | Send Message

Robert Rhykerd | Send Message

ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Contact:

Emily Mueller Send Message | 608-268-3988

Journal Program Manager

Congratulations to the 2023 Winners!

First place: “Effect of cover crops on soil health at different landscape positions” by Franciny Oliveira da Silva, https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.20140

Second place: “Cost effective and efficient technique for removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water” by Steven Mai, https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.20137

Third place: “Origin of yield gains in maize hybrids” by Elizabeth Tranel, https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.20138

Examples of Winning Manuscripts:

2021 Winner: "Counting the nodules that count, relationships between seed nitrogen and root nodules" by Melinda Zubrod
2020 Winner: "Sugarcane aphids in grain sorghum" by Sophie Filbert
2019 Winner: "The effects of defoliation on the nutritive value of common forage grasses" by Kaleb Baber