Rules and Eligibility
Background and Objectives
The YPPC is organised on an annual basis and provides an opportunity for young gas professionals to enhance their career prospects and to be recognised and rewarded for their work. Presentations are encouraged from all business functions within the gas industry and do not have to be engineering based.
Eligibility
The competition is open to gas professionals and students working in or studying towards a career in the gas industry, be they IGEM members or not, who will be at least 18 years of age but under the age of 36 on the 1st June in the year of the competition.
All entrants must be available and able to travel to their regional heat, the final and the overall prize destination on the specified dates (once confirmed). Entrants requiring a visa should ensure they arrange this in good time before the dates of these events.
All finalists will be required and will agree to write a paper based on their presentation to be received by IGEM by the date of the final for subsequent publication in Gas International (Gi). Presentations and papers should not contain information, e.g. commercially sensitive, that would restrict publication.
By entering the competition, an entrant agrees that their presentation may be recorded or filmed and used by IGEM to promote future competitions.
If an entrant is successful in reaching the final and not an existing IGEM member, they are required to apply to become one before the 1st June in the year of the competition.
IGEM recognises that many projects will be delivered by a team, however all entrants should focus on their individual achievements within their chosen project, whilst also providing sufficient information to understand the overall project. In order to satisfy this requirement, no joint entries are permitted. In addition there will be only one entry per person allowed.
Prizes
There are two rounds of competition, the regional heats and the final.
The winner of each regional heat will receive a monetary prize and go forward to the final. The runner up of each regional heat will receive a monetary prize.
The winner of the final will receive an all-inclusive trip to a prestigious international energy conference in the year after the competition. The cost of flights, hotel and conference entry will be included. The runner up and third placed candidates will receive monetary prizes.
The Challenge
To enter the competition each entrant should:
1. Submit via the online form an abstract of up to a maximum of 250 words on any topic relevant to the gas industry and where personal involvement can be demonstrated. Abstracts which exceed the 250-word limit will be penalised in the event of pre-assessment/shortlisting for a regional heat where a significant number of entries are received.
Upon acceptance of their abstract each entrant should:
2. Prepare a short visual presentation of up to 15 minutes on the topic in question to be delivered at a regional heat.
3. Be prepared to answer questions from the judging panel for a period of 5 minutes.
The winner of each regional heat will then be required to write and submit, by the announced date before the final, a paper of up to a maximum of 1500 words based on the abstract previously submitted. The papers will be available for reference purposes only for the panel of judges but will be published in Gas International during the months following the final.
The winner of each regional heat will be expected to deliver their visual presentation of up to 15 minutes again at the final and be prepared to answer questions from the judging panel for a further period of 5 minutes.
The Process
Intention to enter the competition should be registered by submitting an abstract on the official YPPC submission form to IGEM by the specified date (usually the 28th February in the year of the competition). Abstracts will then be registered with the relevant IGEM District Section.
Where a significant large number of entries are received the District Section will undertake a pre-assessment/shortlisting exercise. Entries may be reallocated to other regional heats at the discretion of the competition organiser and the District Section committee to ensure a balanced competition.
The District Sections will arrange for all selected candidates to present at the designated regional heat. The regional heats will be run by the District Sections in keeping with the competition rules. The presentations will be judged in accordance with the assessment criteria detailed below.
The District Sections will submit details of the regional heat winning presentation with marks and supporting comments to IGEM secretariat by the end of April in the year of the competition. The winner of each District Section heat will then be required to write and submit a paper of up to 1500 words based on the abstract previously submitted by the date specified. All the District Section regional heats winners will then compete at the final on the specified date, usually in June.
Assessment Criteria
Marks shall be awarded for the following criteria:
1. Structure and content of presentation (40 marks)
- Relevance to industry, how much influence this project/work had or is having on the gas industry?
- How much personal involvement, knowledge and understanding is demonstrated?
- Does the contestant introduce the topic clearly and state the purpose or objective and logically develop the detailed description of his/her project/work?
- Are the key messages communicated effectively (including the summary/findings?) Does the entrant explain how the work could be exploited or developed further?
- How much did the contestant learn and how did they grow personally during the project/work?
2. Effective use of presentation material (15 marks)
- Is the supporting presentation material used effectively in support of the oral presentation?
3. Quality of presentation material (15 marks)
- Are slides/videos/simulations/models clear, neat and in good working order?
4. Quality of preparation including handling of questions (20 marks)
- How well planned and rehearsed was the presentation (10 marks)
- How well does the contestant handle the question and answer session, skills in listening to and answering questions? (10 marks)
5. Presentation style (10 marks)
- Does the contestant give an engaging presentation (e.g. quality of delivery, personal flair, charisma)
YPPC organiser
The IGEM secretariat is the competition organiser who shall have the final say in all decisions relating to the organisation and running of the competition and in any interpretation of the rules.
What happens next?
Your entry will be forwarded to the relevant IGEM Section after the competition closing date, usually the one you are geographically closest to.
You will be notified by the Section if you have been successful in entering the heat. Where a significant number of entries are received the Section committee will undertake a pre-assessment and shortlisting exercise.
You will prepare your visual presentation of up to 15 minutes on the project or topic in question to be delivered at the heat. You will also answer questions from the panel of judges.
Presentations will be judged on the following criteria:
- Structure and content of presentation
- Effective use of presentation material
- Quality of presentation material
- Quality of preparation including handling of questions
- Presentation style
The Section heat winners will compete at the final on the specified date.
The Section heat winners will be expected to write and submit a paper of up to 1,500 words based on their presentation before the date of the final. This paper is for publication only and will not be marked at any stage of the competition.
Do I have to be an engineer?
Not at all. Presentations are encouraged from all business functions within the industry. So it doesn’t matter whether you work in pipeline design, asset management, network operations, customer services or innovation to name but a few areas. As long as you can demonstrate personal involvement in a project or work that is related to gas you can enter.
What's in it for me?
Apart from the top prize of a trip to an international conference, entering the YPPC looks great on your CV. It’s a fantastic way to build up your confidence and demonstrate your competence and talent to your bosses, peers and members of a learned Institution. It’s a valuable CPD activity and if you do well in the heats and the final there are cash prizes up for grabs.
It looks like hard work...
Taking part couldn’t be easier. To enter just submit a summary on the project or topic you are involved in by the deadline. You then need to prepare a 15 minute oral presentation which you deliver at a local Section heat and answer questions from a panel of judges. If you win your Section heat you proceed to the final and deliver your presentation again. All Section heat finalists are expected to write a 1,500 word paper on their project or topic that will be published in Gas International (Gi) which is read globally.