*Entries are now closed - the online Idea Showcase Gallery is coming soon! Watch this space for more updates.*
What are young people’s experiences of the pandemic?
How do we move towards a sustainable future?
What does economic recovery look like?
How has the pandemic affected governance, democracy and rights?
What are the opportunities for social enterprise?
What is the role of technology and the media?
Wherever you are in the world, all students are part of LSE’s research community. Share your ideas in our student showcase and make an impact by contributing to LSE’s thinking on Shaping the Post-Covid World – and have the chance of winning £200!
How to get involved
How to get involved Kate McMahon and Ryan Carraro - LSE Student Futures Ambassadors
Your idea
Your research, project or insight should take the form of:
A short film - this doesn't have to be anything fancy - you can shoot diaries, interviews and other clips on your phone, and pull it together using free editing software such as iMovie or Da Vinci Resolve. Check out our blog on visually showcasing your work, and the 'specifications and guidance' at the bottom of this page for more info.
A photograph - do you have a photo that conveys a story about the pandemic or our post-Covid future? This could reflect your experience of lockdown, something you've missed, or something entirely different. Check the 'specifications and guidance' at the bottom of this page for more info.
A written pitch - have you prepared a dissertation, essay or project that ties to the 'Shaping the Post-Covid World' theme? You can rework your abstract following our written pitch 'specifications and guidance' at the bottom of this page.
A research poster - tell the story of your idea or research visually by exploring the key points through a combination of writing, design and data presentation. Check out our blog on how to create a poster and find more information in 'specifications and guidance' at the bottom of this page.
As part of your entry, you’ll also need to prepare a short reflective paragraph (150-200 words) explaining the significance of your project in terms of the Shaping the Post-Covid World theme.
When
The showcase opens for submissions on Wednesday 3 March, during the LSE Festival: Shaping the Post-Covid World. The deadline for submissions is now Sunday 25 April.
Who
Students at all levels of study, including recent alumni, are invited to enter. You can enter as an individual or as a group.
Prizes
All entries will be displayed in our gallery. Prizes of £200 will be allocated to:
LSE Student Futures prize (judged by LSE Student Futures Ambassadors)
Best in each format (best film, photo, poster or pitch)
Most innovative presentation of research
Best interdisciplinary collaboration
Popular prize
Winners will also receive publicity for their work.
Can I enter a class project?
While you can enter an original idea you’ve developed specifically for the showcase, we also encourage you to repurpose class projects and anything you’re working on as part of an initiative e.g. Change Makers but please reversion it to be in the form of a pitch, poster, photo or film. If you have a great idea but don’t have the means to carry out the research, you can submit a proposal and methodology in one of these formats.
What are the judges looking for?
Judges are looking for innovative presentation as well as the content of your entry. What medium would get across your findings in the most impactful way? We are accepting entries as written pitches, research posters, short films, and photos. You can find more advice in the 'category specification and guidance' accordions below.
Submission form
Download the submission form, fill out in full and return to Idea.Showcase@lse.ac.uk.
If submitting a poster, film or photo, upload your file to WeTransfer and get a download link in order to complete this form. If submitting a written pitch, please attach your submission as a separate Word document when you return the form via email.
Download submission form (Word doc)
Further updates
Showcase-related news will be shared on this webpage and in Student News.
Category specifications and guidance
Photography allows you to think about your research in different ways, offering a fresh perspective. It can help you to consider what has inspired you or captured your imagination, to illustrate the people or stories. What makes a good photograph is how well it conveys the story. Composition is key, as well as being visually aware of other photographer’s work for inspiration.
- Imagination: How original and arresting is the story behind the image? Does it challenge the viewer?
- Research matter and coherence: How well does it relate to your research items and topics as described on the entry form?
- Visual impact: Where is our eye drawn to in the photograph? Is the viewer's attention captured in an interesting way?
A maximum of one photograph may be submitted as part of a single exhibit from either an individual or a group. Your photograph must be:
- Minimum resolution 300dpi
- EPS, TIFF or JPG file
- Do not include any logos, for example the LSE logo
Check out our photo toolkit for more guidance.
Communicating your area of research with concision and dynamism is an essential skill. Film is an excellent medium in which to do this, whether this be through documentary or fiction, live action or animation, or even comedy or science-fiction. Filmmaking is, in itself, a source of knowledge: offering a new perspective on how to represent your work.
You don’t need a Hollywood budget or a degree in motion-graphics, just a phone with a camera and some free editing software. What matters most is that you’re able to express your research with clarity and creativity.
- To what extent does the film make use of sound, image and editing to convey the research topic?
- Does the film demonstrate a strong link to theoretical, critical and cultural ideas developed in the research?
- Is the research presented with clarity, creativity and depth?
A maximum of one film may be submitted as part of a single exhibit from either an individual or a group. Your film must be:
- Maximum of three minutes long
- Minimum resolution 1280x720 pixels
- Ratio 16:9
- File Mov, MP4
- Do not include any logos, for example the LSE logo
Check out our short film toolkit for more guidance.
Posters can illustrate your research findings, theories, models and ideas in a visually compelling way. They are an increasingly popular way of illustrating research, and are often used at conferences and in print and online media to convey complex information succinctly.
- Organisation: How well is structure employed to organise text and images?
- Presentation: Do graphics and/or use of colour enhance the message?
- Use of evidence: Is the evidence robust and does it support the claims put forward?
- Clarity: Are the arguments contained in the poster coherent? Are they clear to a general audience?
A maximum of one poster may be submitted as part of a single exhibit from either an individual or a group. Your poster must be:
- Minimum resolution 300dpi
- PDF file
- Do not include any logos, for example the LSE logo
Check out our poster toolkit for more guidance.
This is a way of creating engagement with an important non-academic audience such as the media and policymakers that is clear, concise and convincing in writing. Your headline should grab attention and the summary of your findings should point out the importance of the research to a user community, whether in the public or policy realm.
- Does the headline grab attention and capture the important insight from the research?
- Does the pitch make the case for why the audience should be engaged by the research?
- Is the pitch well-written, concise and communicative?
A maximum of one written pitch may be submitted as part of a single exhibit from either an individual or a group. Your pitch must be:
- Maximum one headline and one 250 word summary
- Word file
- Do not include any logos, for example the LSE logo
Check out our written pitch toolkit for more guidance.