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2026 NCWSS/WSWS Joint Student Weed Contest

2026 NCWSS / WSWS Joint Student Weed Contest 

July 29 – 30, 2026
Bayer Water Utilization Center,  Gothenburg, Nebraska
 
Brief Agenda
July 29, 2026
 
 
Registration
4:30 PM
Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center
Welcome Dinner
6:00 PM
Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center
   
July 30, 2026
  
Contest Start
7:30 AM
Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center
Awards Banquet
Following Contest
Harbor Lights – North Platte, NE
Directions to the contest and banquet location, hotel names and phone numbers, and a more detailed schedule will be provided later via email and will be posted to this website.
 
Regional Eligibility
Regional Eligibility will be based on geography and past participation. Those universities that have competed at the North Central Weed Science Society student weeds contest in 3 of the last 4 stand-alone NCWSS contests will have their graduate team placed in the North Central Division of this joint contest, whereas all other WSWS graduate teams will be placed in the Western Division. Undergraduate teams will be combined into a single division.
Team Registration 
Participant Registration Form – Due May 1, 2026
Final Team Composition – Due July 10, 2026
 
Registration Fees
NCWSS or WSWS Student – $25
Non NCWSS or WSWS Student – $35
 
Please mail checks made payable to:
NCWSS 
360 Oak Ave, STE 140
Eaton, CO 80615
ATTN: Weeds Contest
Or
 If using a credit card, send information to info@ncwss.org, referencing the weeds contest.
 
Registration fee information for those competing in the WSWS contest will be coming soon.
 
Volunteer Registration
Volunteer Registration form – Due July 10, 2026
 
 
 
Student Weed Contest Rules
 
Connect

2026 WSWS STUDENT LIAISONS

  • Peter (Weston) Maughan – Washington State University
  • Ola Adeyemi – Utah State University

FACEBOOK/TWITTER

Please look to the WSWS Student Section page on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter @WSWSstudents for news leading up to the annual meeting. We will use these media as a forum for information that is pertinent to student members. 

Rita Beard Endowment Scholarship

Deadline: 5:00 PM (PT), December 1, 2026

Application: See this document for eligibility and application instructions.

The WSWS Rita Beard Endowment Foundation is pleased to offer travel support to students or early career professionals that are studying/working in the area of invasive species management on natural lands/waters of the United States.

Scholarships will be awarded to the most outstanding undergraduate or graduate student(s) and/or young professional(s) that complete the application requirements.

The scholarships are to be used to defray the cost of attending one of the following professional meetings:

  • Western Society of Weed Science
  • Western Aquatic Plant Management Society
  • North American Invasive Species Management Association
  • Society of Range Management


For the list of previous winners, and to learn about Rita and her contributions to Weed Science, see this page.

Elena Sanchez Memorial Outstanding Student Scholarship

Deadline: 5:00 PM (MT), October 3, 2026

Application: See this document for eligibility and application instructions.

The WSWS is pleased to offer the Elena Sanchez Memorial Outstanding Student Scholarship to promote greater student participation at the WSWS annual meeting and encourage new weed science research and future weed science careers. Scholarships will be awarded to three outstanding undergraduate and/or graduate WSWS student members who will attend and present at the WSWS annual meeting.

WSWS Annual Meeting

2027 Student Contest Criteria:

Presentation Tips:

Want to enhance your presentation skills? Some tips to honing your skills in presenting to small or large audiences is provided in the link below. Check out the following document:

Additional Resources