After the event: RYS2025 in numbers and Awardees

Submissions. For RYS2025, 230 abstract submissions were received. As is typical, about half followed through with final posters, extended abstracts, or full papers. Most final contributions were full conference papers (80), with fewer extended abstracts (25) and posters (15).

Regional participation. Accepted submissions include contributions from all continents. France and India have traditionally been strong contributors to RILEM events, which was also observed in RYS2025. A strong contribution was also observed from the United States, Italy, Panama, Germany, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Consequently, we consider the Rys2025 specific format (e.g., chosen time and online participation) was successful in broadening participation, particularly from regions less commonly present at in-person RILEM events, such as Brazil, Panama, and the US.

Participation in the online event. The symposium started had over 350 registered attendees, 5 parallel sessions, and 60 confirmed speakers. We observed higher attendance numbers on day 1 rather than day 2, with a peak of participation ranging 37-86 on day 1 and 13-32 on day 2.

Acknowledgements. The RILEM Youth Council (RYC) would like to express its deepest gratitude to Joanitta NDAWULA, the first President of the RYC, whose leadership and commitment were fundamental in initiating and advancing this effort. We warmly thank the RILEM President at the time of the Youth Council’s creation, Prof. Nicolas ROUSSEL, and the current Vice-President, Prof. Hans BEUSHAUSEN, whose support and endorsements were instrumental in helping the RYC establish its place within the RILEM community. Our sincere appreciation also goes to Dr. Niki TROCHOUTSOU and Dr. Surender SINGH, the incoming and outgoing RYC Presidents, for their continuous dedication and service.

We would also like to thank the Organising Committee, the RILEM Secretariat, our Sponsors (KERAKOLL, NETSCH, Utest asia), and all members of the Scientific, Organising, Advisory, Support, and Proceedings Editing Committees for their invaluable contributions to the success of this event. Finally, we extend our gratitude to the RILEM Association and its President, Prof. Nele DE BELIE, for their ongoing support and encouragement.

Awards. The following awards were granted:

Best paper award to Ashish BASTOLA (PhD student, Oregon State University, USA), presenting Building with Earth: Unveiling Reaction Mechanisms in soil-cement Systems. Prize: €500 and the opportunity for this contribution to be considered for publication in the international journal Materials and Structures, offering a pathway to a high-impact publication.

Best poster to Dr Osamah DEHWAH (Postdoc researcher, National Institute of Standards and Technology & Johns Hopkins University, USA), presenting Quasistatic Crack Propagation in Cement-Based-Materials Induced by Pyrrhotite Oxidation. Prize: invitation to submit a journal paper to the international journal RILEM Technical Letters, an international journal where invited papers are only published.

Best presentation to Jéssica D. BERSCH (PhD student, CERIS, IST-Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal), presenting How to Protect Our Façade Coating Mortars? A Glance at Different Approaches to Improve Surface Protection. Prize: the recorded presentation will be permanently featured on the RILEM YouTube channel, reaching a wider and international audience.

 The following two contributions received a RILEM certificate in recognition of their quality: Best paper – second place to Samuel AUGER (PhD student, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, France), presenting Bio-based fluidification of earth mortar using tannin addition. Best paper – third place to Anna POMAZANNA (architect and educator, Kharkiv School of Architecture, Ukraine), presenting Potential of Treating War-Polluted Soils for EarthBased Construction in Ukraine.