The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is pleased to announce that the 4th Annual Advocacy and Health Policy Abstract Competition for surgical trainees will be held at the 2026 Leadership & Advocacy Summit from February 28 to March 3, in Washington, DC. The goal of this competition is to encourage trainees to become involved in advocacy and health policy efforts early in their careers.
The national competition is open to all resident and surgical trainee members. However, priority will be given to authors nominated by ACS chapters.
Abstract Competition Details
The 2026 Leadership & Advocacy Summit will take place at the Grand Hyatt Washington, DC Hotel. All abstracts chosen will be presented live on stage during the Leadership Summit on Sunday, March 1, at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET. There will be no physical poster presentations/displays; this will be a live, podium poster presentation with slides. Abstract Competition participants are expected to attend both the Leadership Summit (March 1) and the Advocacy Summit (March 2-3).
Submitted abstracts should follow the specifications outlined below. Please note that only one abstract per individual can be submitted. Authors of accepted papers must be an ACS resident member to participate in the competition.
Indicate if your research is Completed Research or Research in Progress
A 500-word maximum abstract (not including title or author) that presents a concise summary of an advocacy or health policy topic at the state or national level
Abstracts may cover any aspect of surgical advocacy and health policy, broadly conceived, but must represent original research or potential research
In cases of multiple authors, only one author will have the opportunity to present at the Summit
Abstracts should include the following:
Abstract title
Author name
Background – A short outline of the advocacy or health policy issue
Synopsis – A brief narrative describing the research and critical elements of the advocacy or health policy issue
Significance – Explain how the chosen issue impacted or may impact surgeons or surgical patients. Provide policy recommendations.
The research included in the abstract should not be previously published
The competition is open to all surgical trainee members of the ACS. Priority will be given to authors nominated by ACS chapters. See below for how chapters can be involved.
Financial Contribution
Authors chosen for the Abstract Competition are guaranteed to receive one of the $500 Resident Travel Awards for the Leadership & Advocacy Summit to help defray the costs of traveling to Washington, DC.
Awards
Awards for the top three abstracts will be announced before the Hill Visits on Tuesday morning, March 3. The three winners will receive the following:
First place: $500
Second place: $250
Third place: $100
Key Dates
October 14, 2025 – Deadline for abstract submissions to be sent to Ashley Claire at aclaire@facs.org
October 31, 2025 – No more than 10 abstracts are chosen for the competition
Early November, 2025 – Chosen authors are notified and are required to apply for one of the Leadership and Advocacy Summit Resident Travel Awards (referenced above)
February 28 – March 3, 2026 – Leadership and Advocacy Summit
March 1 – Abstract presentations take place live and on stage at approximately 3:30 pm ET during the Leadership Summit
March 3 – Three winning abstracts are announced before the Hill Visits