Award Categories
Research Institution Sectors Compete Separately
The Freezer Challenge recognizes top award-winning organizations and laboratories in each of four sectors:
For more details on how to win and how scoring for the Freezer Challenge works, go to "How Scoring Works"
- Academia
- Biotech and Pharma
- Government
- Clinical, hospital, private research, or other
For more details on how to win and how scoring for the Freezer Challenge works, go to "How Scoring Works"
Top Laboratory Awards
Labs are asked to indicate on their scoresheet their lab group size based on the number of people who work within the lab space. Include everyone who regularly works in the lab, not just the number of people that supported Freezer Challenge actions. This allows better grouping of laboratories, so labs of a similar size compete for Top Lab Awards. The idea behind grouping labs in this way for the Top Awards is that more people in a lab means more possible helping hands to implement cold storage best practices over the course of the challenge. In addition, this allows the chance for smaller lab groups to also earn achievements through this competition. Below are the lab group descriptions to pick from in the Freezer Challenge scoresheet:
Note that if you submit a scoresheet with multiple labs grouped together, you cannot win a Lab Award, only be part of an organization level award (see below for detail). We must have one lab on one scoresheet for Lab Awards, and all scoresheets where that criteria is met are eligible.
Top Laboratory Award winners earn a certificate for their achievements and will have their lab name and photo published in an online publication in the autumn of 2024. For the past couple years we have worked with Lab Manager magazine who has put together excellent articles covering all the winners efforts. Finally, in 2024 we have tentative plans to hold a virtual recognition event in September or October to recognize the lab winners of the competition.
- A laboratory with fewer than 10 lab members
- A laboratory with 11–25 lab members
- A laboratory with more than 25 lab members
- A shared cold storage resource, core facility, or biorepository
- An entire department, R&D facility, or branch of an organization --> groups that select this option cannot win a Top Lab Award
Note that if you submit a scoresheet with multiple labs grouped together, you cannot win a Lab Award, only be part of an organization level award (see below for detail). We must have one lab on one scoresheet for Lab Awards, and all scoresheets where that criteria is met are eligible.
Top Laboratory Award winners earn a certificate for their achievements and will have their lab name and photo published in an online publication in the autumn of 2024. For the past couple years we have worked with Lab Manager magazine who has put together excellent articles covering all the winners efforts. Finally, in 2024 we have tentative plans to hold a virtual recognition event in September or October to recognize the lab winners of the competition.
Top Organization Awards
Organizational Awards reward those research institutions that have encouraged many laboratories to make the greatest difference during this challenge. Individual lab points and energy savings are aggregated to determine one Organizational Winner for each sector.
Top Organization Award winners earn a commemorative plaque for their achievements and will be recognized in an online publication in Lab Manager magazine (see here for the 2023 article). One representative from each winning organization will also be invited to attend the annual I2SL conference awards luncheon to accept their plaque in-person. The 2024 I2SL Conference is being held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, September 29 - October 3.
Top Organization Award winners earn a commemorative plaque for their achievements and will be recognized in an online publication in Lab Manager magazine (see here for the 2023 article). One representative from each winning organization will also be invited to attend the annual I2SL conference awards luncheon to accept their plaque in-person. The 2024 I2SL Conference is being held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, September 29 - October 3.
