Young Speakers Contest

Every year the Young Speakers Contest is one of the highlights of the FYSICA meeting. It is a contest for the best oral presentation by an early career physicist (PhD candidate or post-doc) working at a university or research institute in The Netherlands. All participants of FYSICA can cast a vote to select a winner.

Register for the Young Speakers Contest before March 3, 2027!

You want to show your presentation skills ánd improve them? Then join the Young Speakers Contest. Eight semi-finalists will be invited to follow an online presentation course. During a plenary session of FYSICA 2027, three finalists will present their own research, in English, during a 10 minute presentation.

All information about regulations, registration and dates can be found to the right.

Nick Groen wins Young Speakers Contest 2026

The Young Speakers Contest held during the FYSICA conference on April 10, 2026, was won by Nick Groen of the University of Twente.

He gave a compelling presentation on the Josephson effect. Groen, along with two fellow contestants— Patrick Bourg from Radboud University and Yağmur Zubaroğlu from Nikhef — advanced to the semifinals and received the most votes from the audience after his presentation at FYSICA in Nijmegen.

Evan Usher wins Young Speakers Contest 2025

mvlokvan Evan Usher (r) wint YSC 2025

Evan Usher (AMOLF, to the right) was chosen as the winner of the Young Speakers Contest 2025. After competing with over 20 candidates in the pre-selection and semi-finals, the public at the NNV's FYSICA 2025 Congress in Leiden voted him as the winner over his competitors Kian van der Enden and Pranati Kharbanda. NNV president Christa Hooijer announced the winner.

(Photos Martin van Lokven)

Regulation 1

On the occasion of the FYSICA Congress of the Nederlandse Natuurkundige Vereniging (Dutch Physical Society), a prize will be awarded for the best oral presentation by an early career physicist. This contest is open for colleagues that are in their final years of their PhD or work as a post-doc at a Dutch university or research institute. The presentation, in English and max 10 min, should focus on the scientific work done by the candidate.

Regulation 2

The prize will be awarded for the best presentation during a dedicated plenary session at the FYSICA meeting on the 16th of April 2027. All participants of the conference will be able to cast their vote in support of one of the candidates. The prize, the ‘Young Speaker Award', consists of a cash prize of €250,- and a certificate. There are no second and third prizes.

Regulation 3

Based on the motivation, CV and video material (if available) a jury will invite eight candidates to participate in an online workshop on science communication in March 2027. They will be invited for the semi-final at the University of Groningen. During that day the candidates will give a pitch of their presentation to the jury that will then select three finalists to compete on stage during the FYSICA meeting.

Regulation 4

To enter the competition, candidates should register by sending a mail to directeur@nnv.nl and submit a one page document including both a short resume and motivation to enter the competition. Although it is not required, you can include a link to video material, presentations and/or social media accounts. The deadline for submitting your nomination is Monday March 2.