• BioEPIC Research Slam Champion – Mingfei Chen, postdoctoral researcher, ENIGMA Science Focus Area (SFA), “Journey to the Depths: A Subterranean Society of Microbial Biofilms”
• First Runner-up – Mohammad Ombadi, postdoctoral researcher, Watershed Function Science Focus Area, “Flowing Against the Odds: The Resilience of Watersheds in the Face of Drought”
• Honorable mention – Avery Roberts, graduate student researcher, m-CAFEs Science Focus Area, “A CRISPR Crossover: Harnessing Anti-Phage Defenses for Targeted Editing of Microbial Communities”
• Honorable mention – Bradley Biggs, postdoctoral researcher, ENIGMA Science Focus Area, “Friends or Foes Forged Under Fire? Using Synthetic Microbial Communities to Understand Field Interactions”