Student Writing Contest

The NATA Foundation Athletic Training Student Writing Contest (SWC) is named for Deloss Brubaker, who chaired the contest for its first 30 years. The SWC is now in its 41st year. Through this competition, a total of $1,000 is awarded by the NATA Foundation in 3 different contest divisions.

Athletic training students enrolled in professional programs are eligible to participate in the following categories of submission (categories updated beginning in 2024 award cycle – more info below):

Original Research ($500)
Summary Evidence Research ($250)
Clinical Practice Research ($250)

 

 

 

The NATA Foundation is thankful for GLATA sponsoring the Student Writing Contest since 2019!

IMPORTANT! Review the Submission Instructions and Contest Requirements prior to submitting.

Below are the categories and the associated descriptions for exemplar full manuscripts:

Original Research: Submission Guidelines
Summary Evidence Research: Submission Guidelines
Clinical Practice Research: Submission Guidelines 

Submissions due February 1.
SWC SUBMISSION

Questions?  Please contact kathrynl@nata.org.

NEW STUDENT WRITING CONTEST CATEGORIES!

The NATA Foundation is excited to announce updated categories for the Student Writing Contest. These new categories aim to expand the scope of the Student Writing Contest and provide a platform for students to submit their research projects that previously did not have a specific category.

The following are the new categories for the Student Writing Contest:

  1. Original Research
  2. Summary Evidence Research
    Includes: critically appraised topics (CATS), literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses
  3. Clinical Practice Research
    Includes: quality improvement projects, case study/series, evidence practice reviews

Participating in the Student Writing Contest offers numerous benefits, including the opportunity to:

  • Gain recognition for your hard work and academic achievements
  • Provides a valuable opportunity for students and future researchers to engage in professional writing opportunities
  • Network with fellow students and professionals in your field

We encourage all students to take advantage of these new categories and submit your research projects accordingly.

2025 Award Winners

BEST CLINICAL PRACTICE RESEARCH

Carlos Rivera – University of South Carolina – Columbia
“Updating Secondary School Emergency Action Plans to Align with Best Practice: A Quality Improvement Project”

BEST SUMMARY EVIDENCE RESEARCH

Kieran Scanlan – Moravian University
“Attrition and Cost Savings Provided by Athletic Trainers in the Military Setting: A Critically Appraised Topic”

Clinical Take Home Message: Athletic Trainers (ATs) in military settings offer significant benefits to both service members and governmental operations. Through targeted interventions, ATs contribute to reduced attrition and discharge rates, enhance the likelihood of service members returning to duty, and generate substantial cost savings for the government.

BEST ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Kyler Conn – Cedarville University
“Emergency Action Planning in Collegiate Athletics: An Evaluation of the Current Adoption of Best Practice Recommendations”

Clinical Take Home Message: Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) are necessary to provide efficient and effective care for athletes in distress. Although this research demonstrated that the majority of responding NCAA Division I, II, and III sport medicine staffs implement most of the NATA’s best practice recommendations regarding emergency planning, efforts must still be made to increase complete adoption of all 12 EAP components cited by the NATA.

Past Student Writing Contest Awardees