The David Weis Memorial Student Paper Presentation Award is given by the Midcontinent Region of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. It is given at the regional meeting, to a midcontinent region student, to acknowledge the quality of the paper presentation made during that meeting. The award consists of a certificate and a one-year paid student membership in SSSS. In the event that the student is about to graduate, only the student rate portion of the SSSS membership shall be paid for the following year. Up to two students may be awarded the award at any given meeting. In the event that there are two awards given, the levels of the students should be taken into consideration, so that both more and less advanced students are recognized.

The SSSS-MR David Weis Memorial Student Paper Presentation Award Committee determines the recipient of this award using the following process:

1. The committee chair works with the Regional President to appoint committee members. Committee members hold terminal degrees in their fields. They do not have students presenting papers at the meeting in which they are doing ratings.
2. Prior to the meeting, the committee chair sends committee members the current rating form, and the committee agrees to the rating sheet/changes in the standard rating sheet for the meeting.
3. As the program committee develops the program, the committee chair and the SSSS-MR president work together to get the award presentation on the program, and to insure that the grouping and timing of the papers allows for all papers to be adequately rated. The student presentations should occur before the Saturday Awards Luncheon, so that the award may be presented at the luncheon.
4. Prior to the meeting, the committee chair gets a list of student presenters from the program chair. The committee chair contacts each eligible student who is presenting at the meeting and confirms the rules for eligibility of the award, including that the student present the paper (questions can be answered by the professor, other authors), and be a student member of SSSS and in the MR region.
5. Committee members attend the regional meeting. Either prior to the meeting, or at the start of the meeting, they work with the committee chair to determine which papers they will be rating. They should not rate any papers in which they may have a potential conflict (same institution, know or mentor the student, etc.). The committee chair ensures that each committee member has an adequate number of rating sheets that are from the master.
6. Committee members attend the paper presentation and use the rating sheet for eligible papers. If the student does not make the full presentation, the student is not eligible for the award.
7. Rating sheets are turned into the chair as soon as possible. The chair compiles the data.
8. The committee chair reports the name of the highest rated student paper presentation to the SSSS-MR President and prepares the certificate for the student.
9. The committee chair makes the presentation to the student at the luncheon, or if needed, at another session at the conference.