The Plenary Interactive Poster Session at the 2012 ICA Conference in Phoenix hosted an array of 108 posters that represented the very best research from each Division and Interest Group. This year's judges for the Top Poster Awards were ICA Past Presidents Francois Cooren  (U de Montreal), Patrice Buzzanell (Purdue U), and ICA President-Elect Francois Heinderyckx (U Libre de Bruxelles).

To rank the posters, the judges first obtained the divisions' rankings of each paper to be exhibited in the interactive paper session. Cooren, Buzzanell, and Heinderyckx then read the top-ranked paper in every division. They ranked each paper using three standard rating dimensions (on a 1-10 scale): significance (30%), concepts and theory (30%), and analysis (20%).

When averaged, the judges' ratings on the first three dimensions produced 10 top papers. These papers were then scored for “Presentation and Style” (20% of the final score) after visiting and closely viewing each of them during the Plenary Interactive Poster Session. The scores were then combined and recalculated to determine the winners. 

ICA President Larry Gross announced the winners near the end of the session:

1ST PLACE ($500):
Person-Centered Messages and Gender Attributions in Computer-Mediated Social Support
Erin Spottswood, Cornell U, USA
Joseph B. Walther, Michigan State U, USA
Nicole Ellison, Michigan State U, USA
Amanda J. Holmstrom, Michigan State U, USA

2ND PLACE ($250):
Japanese State and Shinto: Spanning the History of the Secularized Scripture
Kimiko Akita, U of Central Florida, USA
Rick Kenney, Florida Gulf Coast U, USA

3RD PLACE ($100):
Copyrighting Yoga: A Critical Analysis of the Legal Regime of Intellectual Property Rights
Lok Raj Pokhrel, Washington State U, USA

An additional judging panel including Past President Barbie Zelizer (U of Pennsylvania), ICA President Cynthia Stohl (U of California – Santa Barbara), and the Division Chair of Visual Communication Studies Michael Griffin (Macalester College) decided on the Best Visual Display award. This award recognized a poster with excellent aesthetic appeal and display of research. The criteria included clarity, flow between sections, relationship of text to image, and visual appeal.

BEST VISUAL DISPLAY ($100):
Whose Man at His Best? A Comparative Study of Masculine Ideals in Esquire Middle East and the American Esquire
Brian Heffernan, U of Missouri, USA
Amanda Hinnant, U of Missouri, USA

The International Communication Association congratulates all presenters at the poster session, as well as all of the award winners.