While this online format is distinct from traditional, in-person conference sessions, and will require changes to standard presentation designs, the professional benefits are numerous. The audience for a well-crafted tweet and accompanying graphics can be significant, potentially exceeding that at traditional conferences by orders-of-magnitude. This event is a great opportunity to hone your online “presentation” skills. As the world continues to leverage online communication tools, this skill will be increasingly crucial. Awards for competition winners will include monetary prizes (see below).

Twitter offers a platform for anyone, anywhere in the world, to engage with their colleagues with little more than a computer or smartphone and internet connection. As opposed to webinars, which are largely one-way learning experiences, Twitter enables back-and-forth communication among presenters, judges, and anyone interested in your findings.

Yes and no. All participants must post their tweets and image from a personal Twitter account. At the same time, teaming is part of the fun! We encourage participants to create or join a team (e.g., AVS Chapter, Division, University, or Lab). If you are part of a team, be sure to select and use a team-specific hashtag when first tweeting.

Yes! 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners will be competitively selected from all submissions. Awards will also be given to the most creative and the most ‘liked’ post. The team with the highest average post ranking will be recognized as well. Awards will include monetary prizes, and recognition via: (i) Twitter and LinkedIn as well as (ii) news stories on the AVS web page and in our monthly electronic newsletter Beneath the AVS Surface. The 1^st and 2^nd place Student winners will also receive paid registration to attend the AVS 68^th International Symposium and Exhibition and an invitation to submit the work as a late-breaking abstract.

The procedure is simple, as described below.

1. If you don’t already have a personal Twitter account, create one here. Only personal Twitter accounts are allowed.
2. Encourage your colleagues to participate! The larger the number of participants, the larger the audience for your work.
3. Create or join a team! Use this opportunity to engage with a local AVS chapter or show your school spirit by creating a team from your university.
4. Pre-register for the competition here by July 1, 2022. Your twitter username and team hashtag (if any) are required upon registration.
5. Create your image. See the attached formatting guidelines, including tips and tricks to maximize your post effectiveness in this online medium, and resources for creating infographics and effective tweets.
6. The text of the tweet is as important as an image! Think of a 280-character sentence best capturing the impact of your work! Be creative!
7. By 8:00 a.m. ET on July 18 , 2022 (check your time zone), post your tweet and high-resolution image to your personal Twitter account. Your tweet must include the hashtag: #AVSTweets2022. If you are part of a team, be sure to include your team hashtag as well. We also encourage participants to use additional hashtags that will drive relevant traffic to their submission. Domain experts will judge the submissions from 8:00 a.m. ET on July 18, 2022 through 8:00 p.m. ET on July 19, 2022. During this time frame, regularly check your Twitter mentions for questions from judges and anyone who is interested. The “One-Tweet Challenge” competition spans multiple days to accommodate presenters and judges in different time zones and allow for sufficient back-and-forth discussion.
8. Invite your colleagues as well as family and friends to view your post and provide feedback. Encourage them to “like” their favorite tweet, including yours!
9. Winners will be announced via Twitter and via email shortly after the end of the event.

Questions? E-mail events@avs.org.

There are three (3) requirements for your graphics:

1. The file size must be 5 MB or less.
2. File type must be either a GIF, JPG, or PNG.
3. It should have short title, your name, and names of collaborations

The ideal image should tell the story of your research project-it’s good to think of it as having a beginning, middle and end:

• In the beginning, which could be as brief as the title, you’ll set up the topic of the graphics. This could include a short introductory paragraph.
• The middle is the meat of your research - the middle consists of all the facts, figures and content that will tell the story.
• The end consists of what exactly you want to leave the reader with. What is the key idea you would like your audience to remember about your project?

Consider your audience members, who may not be experts in your field, in order to invite conversation and attract attention.

Your image should be clear and easy to read when viewed on either a smartphone or computer screen. One option is to create your graphics in Microsoft PowerPoint with an A4 slide size and 12- to 16-point font size; however, you can use any software or dimensions that suit you!

Useful Resources for Creating a Capturing Image:

1. Transforming research paper into infographics
2. Turning your paper into infographics
3. Maximizing the impact of your work using infographics

The following are some excellent additional resources on Twitter formatting and editing:

• How to write a perfect tweet
• How to write an effective tweet
• Adding content to your Tweet
• Twitter image sizes
• Tips for shortening your poster