Poster Showcase Hall of Fame 2026
In this Poster Showcase, The Floor is Yours curates a selection of ten standout scientific posters. Use this collection as inspiration when you need to design your own scientific poster. The showcase proves that scientific posters can be visually strong, clear, and genuinely engaging.
The posters below were selected from more than 75 submissions and are shown in random order. If a poster catches your attention, be sure to check the jury feedback and background notes as well.
Charlotte Van Moorleghem (ILVO)
What was your experience with this poster? On all type of events the poster sparked a lot of interest. I had many nice scientific conversations over it on conferences and meetings. On Oostende voor Anker, the people were drawn by the animal pictures which was great as we were trying to get as many people as possible to our booth to take a questionnaire. On an internal event at ILVO, it got awarded most creative poster through a vote from colleagues.
Audience: Initially it was for a marine scientific audience on the VLIZ Marine Science Day, but I took this poster to a total of five events, ranging from broader public (Oostende voor Anker) to meetings with sand extraction experts.
Credit: This poster was created by Charlotte Van Moorleghem after following the workshop “Stand out with your Scientific Poster” by Toon at ILVO. Annelies De Backer provided valuable feedback on the underlying statistical analyses and poster layout. The research was funded by VLAIO and FOD Economie. (ILVO)
Jury Feedback
What works well: This design grabs attention immediately and guides the viewer’s eye across the poster. The large “WHY” in the top-left draws you in, and the diagonal line, from the boat down to the ground, helps you follow the story smoothly. We also love the consistent color scheme, the amount and clarity of the text, and the strong visuals. We understand why this poster won “Most Creative Poster.”
Tip: There are many messages. The main takeaway could be highlighted more clearly.
Ellen Roels (KU Leuven)
What was your experience with this poster? This poster was presented at a winterschool (50 participants) where almost all participants were presenting a poster at the same time. The profile picture helped people to find me and talk about my work, even when I was not standing next to it when they passed by. Keeping it minimalistic was a choice, since not all attendees had the same background. I learned that it is not always easy telling a story with such a minimalistic poster, sometimes it is easier to have some more graphs at hand. I was also very happy to win the best poster award at the winterschool for this poster!
Audience: Phd researchers at a winterschool on soft robotics and smart materials.
Credit: This poster was created by Charlotte Van Moorleghem after following the workshop “Stand out with your Scientific Poster” by Toon at ILVO. Annelies De Backer provided valuable feedback on the underlying statistical analyses and poster layout. The research was funded by VLAIO and FOD Economie. (ILVO)
Jury Feedback
What works well: The photo of the robotic hand holding a tomato is a brilliant choice and clearly shows what the research is about in the blink of an eye. It really shows the importance of images on your poster.
It’s not always necessary to introduce yourself in detail on a poster, but if you choose to, this is a great example: a clear QR code and a bio you can scan quickly. Strong use of color too, especially the consistent yellow, taken from the yellow robotic hand on the poster.
Tip: The motivation for the research isn’t clear yet. Why study self-healing soft sensors? What challenge are you addressing? The poster jumps straight into methods without a short introduction. Since the intended audience works on soft robotics, they may not need it, but it’s still worth stating briefly.
Melissa Schuring & Eline Zenner (KU Leuven)
What was your experience with this poster? This poster was part of an online poster session in the aftermath of the pandemic. Because of a technical error, people were randomly assigned to an online room with my poster. Luckily, the conversations were pleasant given people were commenting on the graphics of the poster a lot.
Audience: Linguists working on language variation and language change.
Jury feedback
What works well: Consistent and appealing use of colors and typography. Great choice to pair a catchy title with a more scientific subtitle. The numbered blocks make the reading order instantly clear. The central image draws attention, and the overall look feels a bit like a comic-book page (in a good way).
We also like the use of font-focused charts to explain the study design (font focused chart is where you use a number + a few words + an icon, e.g., “6–13 y/o” with the icon of an ID).
Tip: This wasn’t an issue for your intended audience, but if you reuse this poster for a broader research audience, terms like “English lexical resources” are jargon and should be explained or removed.
Broes Laekeman & co (ILVO)
What was your experience with this poster? I positioned the real (LED-)traps next to the poster which attracted a lot of people as they were curious about the LED-lights. The corresponding poster pitch was built using The floor is yours storytelling scheme (context – BUT – problem – THEREFORE – solution – SO THAT – advantage) which worked really well (I actually use it very often now). I learned this storytelling scheme during the pitch&poster workshop. I also tried to incorporate some humour in the pitch which the audience liked. I actually won the ILVO-internal ‘Best Pitch’ prize for my corresponding pitch. Thank you for the nice tips during the workshop! 🙂
Audience: Colleague scientists within the company (ILVO).
Jury feedback
What works well: The researcher placed the actual LED traps next to the poster. Showing a real object is always a smart move: it draws people in (like insects to… well, an LED trap).
Also a strong choice to keep the text minimal. This poster is designed to spark conversation: it shows what you do, and you can provide the expert details once people stop to talk.Tip: one more line of explanation below the two graphs would be useful. It would make it easier to interpret the graphs without reading the full poster.
Michiel Schreurs & Kevin Verstrepen (VIB – KU Leuven)
What was your experience with this poster? As is common for these (brewing) conferences, people didn’t really pay attention to when the poster was being presented. I had a few people pass by and ask questions while I was there, but I’m sure most people just had a look at some point while passing by.
Audience: Brewers and related industries
Credit: Michiel Schreurs and Kevin Verstrepen. Affiliated with both the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and the KU Leuven Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics
Jury feedback
What works well: Very easy to scan this poster, which is apparently essential at this brewing conference, where posters tend to fade into the background. That makes the title extra important, and “What can we expect from AI in the brewing industry?” is clear and intriguing. Nice touch that the layout mirrors a schematic neural-network structure.
Tip: Since people walk by quickly, the key takeaways could stand out more. For example, add color to the takeaway boxes, or use a full-width colored bar at the bottom behind those boxes to boost visibility. An image (of a beer?) would break the design, but it would help to attract more attention. I would try to look for ways to incorporate images – or maybe better: icons into the poster.
Jorik Waeterschoot & Xavier Casadevall i Solvas (KU Leuven)
What was your experience with this poster? It was a good experience. Although the topic of the poster was not central to the conference, people were curious and asked some interesting questions. I think people were attracted by some of the big visuals on the poster. In the end the poster jury awarded me with a poster award.
Audience: Attendees of UTAS, a scientific conference.
Jury feedback
What works well: The images immediately catch the eye, and the text is arranged neatly around them. The poster also has a clear left and right structure.
Tip: Don’t underestimate how wide an A0 or A1 poster is. In your intro, the text stretches from far left to far right, which is hard to follow with your eyes. Put the intro text into two columns so sentences are shorter and easier to read.
Also cut down the text, there’s still too much. Add more subheadings and bold key words to support scanning/reading the poster quickly.
Hans Hillewaert (ILVO)
What was your experience with this poster? People stopped and wanted to buy the poster
Audience: General public on ‘Oostende voor Anker’
Jury feedback
What works well: What boldness, and what a beautiful visual. You could argue it’s “not scientific enough,” but we counter that with the researcher’s experience: “People stopped and wanted to buy the poster.” How often do people want to buy a scientific poster? Never. This one made it happen.
Yes, it was used for a general audience, but we’d still encourage you to try it at a scientific conference. We’re convinced you will never have had so many engaging conversations at your poster.
Tip: We know it may feel risky to bring something this different to a scientific conference, but take the challenge. It’s a perfect conversation starter and will definitely stand out. Bring a laptop or prepare a handout so you can pull up extra data, graphs, or tables if the conversation goes in that direction.
Kato Herregods (UGent)
What was your experience with this poster? Did not have to stay by my poster to present it because I had a presentation on stage. Three people said they loved it randomly. That was nice.
Audience: ESMRMB community – Biomedical engineers, physicians, Biomedical scientists… who are working with MR.
Jury feedback
What works well: An all-round strong, clear poster. The title at the top draws attention, and the layout guides you smoothly from top to bottom without confusion about what to read next. Smart use of frames, circles, and color: everything feels coherent. A very clear goal in the bottom-right as well: a “call for collaboration.”
Tip: Consider including the research question (“Does menopause transition have a significant effect on white matter microstructure?”) earlier in the introduction. Right now, you only learn exactly what you do or study at the end.
Maja Mielke (UAntwerpen)
What was your experience with this poster? The poster session went really well. When I arrived at my poster at the beginning of the session, the first visitor was already standing there waiting for me. From then on, I did not stop talking for the entire hour. Not a single minute was I alone at my poster. Most of the visitors started the conversation by saying, ‘Wow, your poster looks SO beautiful!’ We had very engaging discussions, and I received many interesting questions and comments. As a cherry on the cake, I was later even awarded the prize for the best poster presentation of the ‘Open Biomechanics’ session.
Audience: Fellow scientists working in biomechanics.
Jury feedback
What works well: according to your experience, you got very positive audience feedback, continuous conversations, and a prize for Best Poster Presentation in the “Open Biomechanics” session. Your comment says it all: “I did not stop talking for the entire hour. Not a single minute was I alone at my poster.” That’s exactly what a poster should do: start conversations.
The design is strong, with great images and, crucially, a consistent and attractive color scheme, something that’s often overlooked in scientific posters.
Tips: The reason for the study isn’t fully clear yet. What’s the problem or challenge? Why do we need to know this? Consider adding a short motivation. Also: as a non-expert, it’s not immediately clear how to interpret the graphs in the bottom-left. A one-sentence explanation per pair of graphs (first two, last two) would help viewers understand them without having to read the entire poster.
Sarah Lievens (ILVO)
What was your experience with this poster? Multiple people stopped and asked questions and exchanged contact information.
Audience: scientists in animal nutrition
Jury feedback
What works well: A very clear pitch-style poster with a strong research question and an image that draws attention. Great that you also indicate when first results are expected. The structure Methods / Problem / Solution / Relevance becomes clear very quickly and invites you to read the full poster..
Tips: Add a bit more whitespace in the text blocks at the bottom. Also consider replacing the labels “problem – solution – relevance” with short titles (one or two words) that describe the content more specifically. It will make it more scannable. Always add a short note next to a QR code telling people what they’ll get if they scan the code (e.g., “Read the paper,” “Visit the project website,” “Download the handout,” “Watch the video,” etc.). Otherwise, many people won’t bother to scan a QR-code.
Honourable mention: Griet De Nys (HoGent)
What was your experience with this poster? I usually use the poster as a flyer to hand out after a training session and to share with colleagues, rather than for a poster presentation.
Audience: CLB staff, teachers, schools, youth care workers, care providers, personal support workers, trainers, etc.
Jury feedback
What works well: This poster is in Dutch, but even if you don’t speak Dutch, the design grabs your attention immediately. The illustrated drawing works very well. The researcher prints it as a flyer and hands it out after a training session. If your poster can double as a flyer, you know the text length and layout are spot on. Clear call to action as well: download tools and results.
Tip: Consider translating it into English to reach an even wider audience, although the tools and results may still be in Dutch.
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