Exploring Sustainability through The Loop Clothing Exchange
Looking for a chance to highlight your data visualization skills? GW undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdocs, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate in GW’s first annual Data Visualization Competition in support of International Love Data Week 2026!
GW LAI and Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library are thrilled to be partnering with the GW Office of Sustainability, the Open Source Program Office, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research to give students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to highlight data from The Loop Clothing Exchange located on GW’s Mount Vernon Campus.
Whether you are looking to showcase your existing skills or develop new data storytelling techniques, GW’s Data Visualization Competition provides a unique learning opportunity complete with prizes and the chance to enhance your data visualization portfolio!
See below for our winning visualizations, or visit the Love Data Week libguide for more details!
Winning Visualizations
Graduate
1. Haeyeon Jeong, Jeongmin An
2. Kiara Caldwell
2. Kiara Caldwell
Undergraduate
1. Deeksha Ravi
2. Isabelle Richards
2. Isabelle Richards
Faculty/Staff
1. Aditya Loganathan, Erica Valdovinos, Nicholas Melucci, Isabella Lagunzad, Dan Shpigel
2. John Helveston
2. John Helveston
Open Source Data Visualization Award Winners
Graduate
1. Elizabeth Banda-Arnold
Undergraduate
1. Deeksha Ravi
Participation Requirements
The GW 2026 Data Visualization Competition requires that all participants create data visualizations based on this dataset from The Loop Clothing Exchange (link will download the .xlsx file). Submissions will be due by 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Winners will be announced on Friday, February 13, 2026 and an awards ceremony will be held on Friday, February 20, 2026 at 3pm on the Mount Vernon Campus.
This year’s competition will feature three tracks:
- Eligibility: Current full-time and part-time undergraduate students in all programs
- Prizes: Two winners will receive $50 gift cards; visualization featured in GW Today and displayed at The Loop; Additional prizes for the use of open source software (see below*)
- Eligibility: Current full-time and part-time graduate students and postdocs
- Prizes: Two winners will receive $50 gift cards; visualization featured in GW Today and displayed at The Loop; Additional prizes for the use of open source software (see below*)
- Eligibility: Current full-time and part-time faculty and staff
- Prizes: Visualization featured in GW Today and displayed at The Loop; Additional prizes for the use of open source software (see below*)
All participants must be current full or part-time GW students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, or staff in order to be eligible for participation.
All participants should adhere to GW Guidelines for Using Generative Artificial Intelligence.
*To qualify for the Open Source Award, a data visualization must meet the following requirements:
Software
use open source software to create the visualization and document which open source software was used
Visualization
open source the visualization by creating a public repository in GitHub or other platforms and adding an OSI approved open source license.
A list of approved Open Source Licenses is available to consult on the OSI Website.
Additional Information
Unsure of where to start with your visualization? Review the Best Practices provided in our Data Visualization Research Guide. For more information or for help with questions, email libdata@gwu.edu.
Participants will be evaluated according to guidance from the Data Visualization Scoring Rubric. Please provide your final visualization output (e.g., image file, PDF, live link). While you may also share the underlying code, judging will be based solely on this final visualization output, not on compiling or running the code.
Materials and Submission
The Loop Dataset ⇥ Submission Form
(submission opens on January 12, 2026)
To submit your project, complete the following steps and provide all required information in the submission form (submission opens on January 12, 2026).
1. General Information
- Fill out required fields with your contact information and GW status
2. Visualization Output
- Select the competition track you are submitting your visualization under.
- Upload or link to your final visualization output (e.g., image file, PDF, live link). Note: while you may also share the underlying code, judging will be based solely on this final visualization output, not on compiling or running the code.
- Project narrative: Provide a brief narrative (100-200 words) explaining the following:
- Story & Goal: What central story or insight about The Loop dataset are you communicating with your visualization?
- Design Choice: Why did you choose this specific visualization type?
- Design Process: Briefly describe your design process and how you arrived at the final visualization layout.
3. Open Source Program Office Prize Eligibility
- Indicate if you are eligible for the Open Source Program Office (OSPO) prize.
- If eligible: Provide the GitHub repository link to the code for your visualization and document the open source software or tools used to create your visualization.
4. (Optional) Additional Information
5. Sharing Permission
- Consent to share winning visualizations (with attribution).
Helpful Links
Data Visualization Competition FAQs
Participation and Awards
Why should I participate?
This competition is a chance to use your data skills to drive awareness about sustainability at GW and earn significant recognition. Participants can:
- Win cash prizes (gift cards) in the undergraduate and graduate/postdoc tracks.
- Be featured in GW Today and The Loop.
- Qualify for the Open Source Award, which includes an invitation to give a lightning talk at GW OSCON 2026.
- Add an award to your resume or ORCiD.
Can I collaborate on my data visualization?
- Yes, collaboration is allowed.
- All contributors (including human and AI tools) must be credited.
- If collaborating, please identify at least one person to attend the awards ceremony.
Are there awards?
- Track Winners: Two winners from each track (Undergraduate and Graduate/Postdoc) will receive gift cards.
- Public Recognition: All winners will be highlighted in GW Today and their work will be featured in The Loop.
- Open Source Award: One winning visualization from each track that meets the Open Source Award criteria will receive additional prizes and will automatically be invited to deliver a five‑minute lightning talk at the 2026 GW Open Source Conference (GW OSCON).
What is the Open Source Award and how do I qualify?
To qualify for the Open Source Award, a data visualization must meet the following requirements:
- use open source software to create the visualization and document which open source software was used, and
- open source the visualization by creating a public repository in GitHub or other platforms and adding an OSI approved open source license.
Winning participants will receive additional prizes and will automatically be accepted to give a 5 minute lightning talk at the 2026 GW Open Source Conference (GW OSCON).
If you have any questions about how to make your visualization open source, contact the OSPO.
When is the Awards Ceremony?
The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, February 20, 2026, at 3:00 PM on the Mount Vernon Campus.
Submission and Collaboration
When is the submission deadline and how do I submit my project?
- The submission deadline is 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
- Submissions must be made using the Submission Form (submission opens on January 12, 2026)
Are there minimum guidelines that must be incorporated into the work?
- Yes. Please review the main competition rubric for comprehensive details on judging criteria, presentation format, and content requirements.
- Provide your final visualization output (e.g., image file, PDF, live link). While you may also share the underlying code, judging will be based solely on this final visualization output, not on compiling or running the code.
What data can I use for this competition?
- You must use The Loop data set provided for this competition.
- You may not use additional external data sources.
- You do not need to use all of the data provided; select the data that is most compelling for the story you are telling in your visualization.
Who are the judges?
- Judges are a team of GW faculty, librarians, and staff with expertise in data visualization and sustainability practices.
Getting Help
What support do you have for data visualization?
- We will be hosting a GW Data Visualization Challenge: Study Hall on January 23, 2026 from 12 pm - 2pm. All are welcome!
- Review our guide to best practices for data visualization.
- Attend one of our many data visualization workshops at Libraries and Academic Innovation.
- Reach out to the Open Source Program Office for more information on how to make your project open source.
