At the 24th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, and hosted by Turtle Survival Alliance, the IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, and Zoológico Guadalajara, Turtle Survival Alliance presented the 2026 Student Awards for Best Papers and Posters, recognizing student excellence in scholarship and presentation.
The 2026 Awards Judging Committee, listed in alphabetical order by last name, consisted of Deborah Bower, Grover Brown (Committee Chair), Matthew Chatfield, Germán Forero-Medina, Rodrigo Macip-Ríos, Pearson McGovern, Donald McKnight, Patrick Moldowan, and Luke Pearson.
All Winners:
Winner – Best Paper: Kai Scarangella
Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, Arkansas, USA
For research titled “Using Environmental DNA and Trapping Surveys to Locate and Characterize Western Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia miaria) Populations in Eastern Arkansas, USA.”
Runner-up – Best Paper: Elizabeth Hays
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
For research titled “Fowl Play: Freshwater Turtle Community Diversity and Abundance in Wetlands Managed for Waterfowl in Arkansas, USA.”
Runner-up – Best Paper: Shelby Truckenbrod
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
For research titled “Spatial Variation in Demography of a Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) Population Within a Protected Landscape.”
Winner – Best Poster: Brandon Mawhinney
West Liberty University, West Liberty, West Virginia, USA
For research titled “An Eight-Year Capture-Mark-Recapture Study on a Southeastern Iowa Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata) Population.”
Header image: The recipients of the 2026 Student Awards for Best Papers and Posters. Photos by Ricardo Acosta