All ORISE Ignite Off! Competition

Hosted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the annual All ORISE Ignite Off! competition showcases the talents of interns from participating federal agencies and offices as they share their research through Ignite Talks. Each competitor has five minutes to present their project, using 20 picture-centric slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds. Through ORISE Learn, contestants have access to an ORISE professional development course that teaches the process for developing an Ignite talk.

2026 Competition

Applications are now open for the 2026 All ORISE Ignite Off! competition.

ORISE interns and fellows — from undergraduate through postdoctoral levels — are invited to apply for this exclusive opportunity to showcase their research in a fast-paced and engaging format.

About the Competition

The All ORISE Ignite Off! highlights the talents of ORISE participants through a dynamic five-minute presentation known as an Ignite Talk. Competitors present their research using 20 image-focused slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds — challenging participants to communicate their research clearly, creatively and concisely.

Eligibility

All current ORISE participants who are undergraduates, graduate students, recent college graduates and postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply (appointment start date must be on or before June 12, 2026).

High school students, faculty and established scientists are not eligible for the 2026 competition.

How to Participate

The application for the 2026 competition is now open and will close June 12, 2026.

Apply Now

2026 Ignite Off! Info Sessions

ORISE interns and fellows (undergraduates through postdocs) interested in participating in the 2026 Ignite Off! competition are invited to join us for an informational session this spring to learn more about the event.

ORISE will host two informational sessions about the competition:

  • May 14, 2:30–4 p.m. ET
  • June 2, 2:30–4 p.m. ET

Sign up for an info session

Past Ignite Off! Competitions:

Read the news feature

Watch the video recording of the 2025 All ORISE Ignite Off Final Viewing Event

Postdoctoral fellow at U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center wins 2024 ORISE Ignite Off! competition

Jonathan Blutinger, Ph.D., an ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center , was named the winner of the 2023 Ignite Off! competition . Read more about the  2024 winner and finalists.

Watch the  video recording of the 2024 Ignite Off Final National Viewing Event

USDA-ARS fellow wins 2023 ORISE Ignite Off! competition

Amanda Fanelli de Souza , an ORISE postdoctoral fellow in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program , was named the winner of the 2023 Ignite Off! competition . Read more about the  2023 winner and finalists.

Watch the  video recording of the 2023 Ignite Off Final National Viewing Event

First all-ORISE Ignite Off Competition names ORNL intern as its winner

Amish Mishra, an ORISE participant in the National Science Foundation's Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship (NSF-MSGI) Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), won the 2022 Ignite Off! competition. Read more about the 2022 winner and finalists.

Watch the  video recording of the 2022 Ignite Off Final National Viewing Event

2021 Ignite Off! Competition Winner

Janet Teng, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

View 2021 finalists’ and other Ignite Off! presentations

Kristyn Johnson, National Energy Technology Laboratory

Other 2020 Ignite Off! finalists:

  • Enakshi Saha | ANL – Bayesian Latent-Variable Modeling of COVID-19 Infection Rate
  • Abdullah Kuziez | ANL – Accelerators for Carbon Ion Therapy
  • Trevor McQueen | ORNL – Capturing Molecular Actions via Vitrification
  • Tanner Stelmach | NETL – Chemical Looping Gasification (CLG)
  • Jacob Sumner | ORNL – Protein Shape Reconstruction with Neutron Scattering and Computational Tools

View 2020 finalists’ and other Ignite Off! presentations

Kaylee Cunningham, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Other 2019 Ignite Off! finalists:

  • Benjamin Aronson | ANL – The Future of Metal Manufacturing
  • Taylor Dennis | ORNL – The Search for Mirror Neutrons
  • Carol Lin | ANL – Investigation of the Tribological Effects on the Surface Interaction of Wind Turbine Bearings
  • Tayler Sundermann | ORNL – Robotic Laser Titanium Wire Big Area Additive Manufacturing
  • Nadia Zaragoza | ANL – Materials Science and Nuclear Fuels

View 2019 finalists’ and other Ignite Off! presentations