The KNPS Wildflower Weekend 2026 will be held at Natural Bridge State Resort Park on Friday-Sunday, April 17th & 19th, 2026. The weekend has been a KNPS tradition for over 35 years, and has always been an education focused endeavor for professionals, students, families, and naturalists of all ages.
In 2025 KNPS decided to try something new to foster a greater connection between the Society and the state’s higher education community by hosting student poster sessions to highlight the botanical (or botanically adjacent) research happening in Kentucky. The 2025 sessions were a great success, with 7 students presenting their research. View those posters here: Student Research Poster Sessions
Because of the success of the Student Research Poster Sessions in 2025, KNPS is going to host these sessions again in 2026.
Read about the poster session details and scholarship opportunities in the section below. You can download a PDF of that information here: Student Poster Sessions at KNPS WW2026
Hello higher education students of Kentucky!
Kentucky Native Plant Society would like to invite you to submit an abstract about your Kentucky based research for our poster session at Wildflower Weekend 2026. See below for times, location, requirements, how to submit your abstract and scholarship opportunities.
Wildflower Weekend Event Information
Friday-Sunday, April 17th-19th, 2026
Natural Bridge State Resort Park and Red River Gorge Geological Area
Poster Sessions
Formal Poster Sessions (One is required)
Saturday, April 18th, 2026 from 8am-10am; Woodland Center
Saturday, April 18th, 2026 from 12:30pm-2:30pm: Woodland Center
Students will be expected to be present with their poster during their entire session (besides bathroom breaks and snack breaks). Chairs will be provided.
Informal Poster Session (Only required for scholarship recipients)
Saturday, April 18th, 2026 from 6pm-9pm: Woodland Center (during Saturday evening speaker session)
Students should stand by their posters before and after the speakers, and during breaks. Otherwise, students are encouraged to attend the talks with everyone else.
Requirements
- Applicants must be an undergraduate, graduate, or PhD student at a university or college within the state of Kentucky during the 2026 spring semester
- Posters must be on research that was conducted within the state of Kentucky
- Posters should be about research in any of the following fields: botany, plant ecology, natural communities, community ecology, bryophytes, lichens, mycology, ethnobotany, pollinator relationships with plants, plant or natural community management, or other related fields
- Applicants must provide information on a university or college professor or instructor that oversaw student research
- Applicants must submit an abstract by 3/1/26 (see submission details below)
Scholarship Opportunity
Free poster printing provided by KNPS (~$40 value)
Provided to all students participating in any poster session
Students will need to upload their poster in an appropriate format by 3/21/26 to guarantee time for printing
Lodging/Traveling Scholarship ($100 value)
$100 reimbursement toward lodging and travel
In order to receive the lodging/travel scholarship, students will be required to complete all of the following:
- One formal poster session
- Informal poster session
- Volunteer one of the following ways:
- Friday Morning, April 17th, 2026: 11:30am-1pm
- Assist in registration, raffle ticket sales, provide guests and hike leads with information and materials, and set up tables, raffle prizes, signs
- Saturday Morning, April 18th, 2026: 7:30am-8am AND 10am-11am
- Assist in registration, raffle ticket sales, provide guests and hike leads with information and materials
- Saturday Afternoon, April 18th, 2026: 12:30pm-1pm AND 3pm-4pm
- Assist in registration, raffle ticket sales, provide guests and hike leads with information and materials
- Saturday Evening, April 18th, 2026: 5:30pm-6pm AND 9pm-10pm
- Assist in chair/table set up and tear down for speaker session, raffle ticket sales, raffle and misc clean up
- Sunday Morning, April 19th, 2026: 7:30am-9am
- Assist in registration, provide guests and hike leads with information and materials
- Sunday Morning, April 19th, 2026: 11am-12:30pm
- Assist with misc clean up after event
- Lead or Co-lead a hike during the Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, of Sunday morning sessions
- Friday Morning, April 17th, 2026: 11:30am-1pm
Students will receive reimbursement upon completing requirements and providing proof of lodging. Failure to complete all requirements will result in the student not receiving their reimbursement.
How to Submit Your Abstract/Apply for Scholarship/Submit Poster
Timeline for Poster Sessions
3/1/26: Abstract Proposals and Scholarship Inquiries Due to KNPS
3/8/26: Students will be notified of approval/denial of abstract and granting of scholarships
3/21/26: Students submit final draft of posters to KNPS
4/18/26: Students Present Poster
Abstract Submission (ABSTRACTS DUE 3/1/26)
Abstract submission is handled via the form at the bottom of this page.
Students need to have the following information for abstract submission
- Student full name, email and phone number
- Student’s major and name of university or college attending
- Professor or instructor name and email (must be willing to oversee student through poster creation)
- Poster Title
- Abstract of research project (2 paragraph maximum)
Scholarship Application (APPLICATIONS DUE 3/1/26)
- Students MUST indicate interest in scholarship opportunity when they submit their abstract for approval
Students will receive approval/denial of their abstracts and scholarship requests from KNPS by 3/8/26
Poster Submission (FINAL DRAFTS DUE 3/21/26)
Students will submit their posters to KNPS by 3/21/26 via online form provided upon abstract approval
Posters need to meet the following parameters
- Formats accepted: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .pdf, .psd, .ai, .ppt, .pptx, .tif, .tif
- Must not exceed 24” x 36” (Use safety area size below to ensure quality printing)
- Horizontal orientation
- At least 300 pixels per inch
- Posters must include the following information and sections
- Title block that clearly indicates the title of the study, full names of all authors, and the affiliation and email for the presenting author
- Abstract, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion, Citations
- Include appropriate in-text citations, with a reference list that presents enough information for readers to unambiguously locate the reference
Tips for poster formatting
- Use a large font for the main text
- Graphics can help to indicate methods clearly and concisely, e.g., screenshots of models, cartoons of experimental setups, overall workflows
- Main results are usually best presented visually with figures; tables should be reserved for cases where readers need to see data with certain precision
- Ensure contents have a logical flow.
Questions? Contact us at WildflowerWeekend2026@knps.org
Use the form below to submit your abstract and/or apply for a travel and lodging scholarship. Only 10 students will be selected for this year’s poster session.
Abstracts and applications due 3/1/26