Student Showcase
The SCAG Student Showcase challenges students to create posters and StoryMaps that illustrate the possibilities of open data to tell compelling stories, provide insights, and showcase plans and projects. The SCAG Student Showcase offers unparalleled opportunities for students to demonstrate their expertise to a large, influential network of skilled practitioners and future colleagues.
SCAG Student Showcase finalists are invited to attend the Regional Conference and General Assembly in Palm Desert to present their posters and StoryMaps. Winners receive cash prizes.
Contact
For more information on the 2026 SCAG Student Showcase, please contact:
Sebastian Shetty
Phone: (213) 236-1966
Email: shetty@scag.ca.gov
2026 Student Showcase
The 2026 SCAG Student Showcase will open for submissions starting Jan. 26. 2026 SCAG Student Showcase finalists will receive complimentary event registration, hotel accommodation, and admission to the 2026 Regional Conference and General Assembly in Palm Desert on May 7-8. At the conference, participants will present their posters and StoryMaps to elected officials and industry leaders from across Southern California. Over 900 attendees are expected at the event.
A panel of judges will select one poster and one StoryMap for the “Best in Show” award. During the conference, attendees will also vote for a poster and StoryMap to be recognized with an “Audience Award.” All four awards, each worth $1,500, will be announced at the end of the conference.
The following due dates are applicable for both the poster competition and the StoryMap competition.
- Competition Opens: Jan. 26
- Final Projects Due: March 12 at 10 a.m.
2025 Student Showcase
- POSTER JURY AWARD WINNER
- Complete Streets Meet Fragmented Policies
- Laura Messier, University of Southern California
- Complete Streets Meet Fragmented Policies
- STORYMAP JURY AWARD WINNER
- Green Infrastructure in Industrial Zone-Heavy Areas of LA
- Manasi Vartak, UCLA
- Green Infrastructure in Industrial Zone-Heavy Areas of LA
- POSTER AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
- Cyber-Physical Engineering Concepts for Sustainable Smart-City Defense and Resilience
- Princeton Brooke, University of Southern California
- Cyber-Physical Engineering Concepts for Sustainable Smart-City Defense and Resilience
- STORYMAP AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
- The Urban Heat Island Effect In Los Angeles County
- Ada Liang, University of California, Irvine
- The Urban Heat Island Effect In Los Angeles County
- STUDENT SHOWCASE PARTICIPANTS
- Quantifying the Built Environment
- Jay Campanell, University of Southern California
- Bridging the Gap: Affordable Housing and Commuting in LA
- Isabella Gonzales, University of California, Irvine
- Southern California: Wildfires and Urban Development
- Bryan Hernandez, University of California, Irvine
- The Future of Homeless Resolution
- Emilee Xie, California State University, Los Angeles
- Quantifying the Built Environment
