InnovatED is an online magazine that celebrates the innovative research and real-world impact of our graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Each year, we feature ten exceptional scholars whose work reflects the Boilermaker spirit—bold, driven, and committed to taking the next giant leap. From groundbreaking discoveries to community impact, InnovatED showcases the stories that are shaping the future of research at Purdue.
Are you a graduate student or postdoc with a story to tell? We invite you to submit your work for consideration and join a growing community of scholars making a difference.
Why Submit?
- The student author selected will receive an award of $500 per accepted manuscript.
- The InnovatED award will be split between authors if selected articles have more than one author.
- Students selected for publication will receive one-on-one coaching focused on communicating complex information to a non-specialist audience.
- Research published in InnovatED is shared widely, reaching readers in more than 45 countries.
2025 Edition Dates
- Submission Deadline: September 26, 2025
- Winners Announced: November 24, 2025
- Final Articles Due: December 12, 2025
- Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Submission Requirements:
- InnovatED is a popular press piece that challenges you to write about your research in a way that resonates with a non-specialist audience.
- Your submission should be 700 to 800 words, free of jargon, and organized in a problem/ solution structure (i.e., What is the problem your research aims to solve? Why does it matter?). Please submit it as a Word document with no special formatting.
- Entries should include a brief biography and photo of the author.
- Work submitted must have been conducted at Purdue University by the student submitting the work, and not from a previous degree. Submitted work should be in the final stages so you have some sound conclusions and impacts from your research.
- Visual aids are required. Visual aids must be original. Visual aids may be your own photography, artwork, or graphs/ charts, or you may use a photo of yourself with the permission of the photographer. Do not submit stock photos or clip art. If you create non-digital art, you may include a digital print or a high-quality photo of your work in your online submission.
- Visual aid submissions must be at least 4.0 MB, but 5.0 MB or larger image files are strongly encouraged. The ideal size is 8 x 10 inches at 300 dpi or larger. Digital files are acceptable in JPG and TIFF formats. Original artwork should be 12 x 18 inches in size or smaller.
- Currently enrolled graduate students and postdocs in all disciplines at Purdue University are eligible to participate.
- The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars reserves the right to disqualify entries that use hateful, violent, attacking, or otherwise inappropriate language, or identify FERPA- or HIPAA-protected information. Entries that are found to not be the original work of the entrant will also be disqualified.
If you have questions, please contact competition administrators.
Past Issues:
(WCAG) 2.1 AA.
Contact Information
Professional Development Office
Physical/ Mailing Address:
Earnest C. Young Hall, Room 170
155 S. Grant St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-21147
Email Address: profdev@purdue.edu
Phone Number: (765) 494-2600