Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES)
Student Programming Competition




Microstrip Antenna Miniaturization using Pixelization


Full Informational Flyer

To request a copy of the software and more information on tutorials click here.

Sponsored By:




Participate in the Applied Computation Electromagnetics Society (ACES) student competition and win the opportunity to publish your paper in ACES Journal.


Goal
  • Minimize the resonance frequency, while keeping the maximum area of the radiating patch constant, as given below
  • Maximize the input impedance bandwidth, and
  • Maximize the realized gain at the resonance frequency.
  • Papers from the top three team winners will be encouraged for submission to ACES Journal for publication.

    • The substrate material, maximum available size, and thickness are fixed as listed in the table in the flyer. You are only allowed to change the patch shape and size within the allowed maximum area in a pixelized form and the feeding point position. The polarization and main beam direction of the designed antenna should remain the same as those of a solid patch antenna occupying the maximum patch size allowed. The antenna design parameters are summarized in the table.

Eligibility
Any team composed of a maximum of 2 students and one faculty advisor is welcome to join this open competition. Multiple teams from the same institution are allowed.


Prize
The three teams with the highest performance will be selected as finalists and will be invited to submit a journal paper (with waived publication charges) to ACES journal for possible publication after conducting the review process. They will also receive certificates from ACES and MathWorks for their participation in the competition. ACES Society will present the champion team with a grand prize of $300. The second and the second runner-up will receive prizes of $200 and $100, respectively. The champion team members will receive a complimentary conference registration for attending ACES 2027 Conference.

Important Dates
  • October 31, 2025 Competition announcement.
  • November 30, 2025 Team registration ends. Register by email to sima_noghanian@ieee.org.
  • May 31, 2026 Teams work submission.
  • July 31, 2026 Announcement of the finalists.