The RStudio Table Contest: 2021 Edition

We love tables here at RStudio. They serve as a fantastic means to communicate information both quantitative and qualitative. We really saw that in the 2020 Table Contest, where the entries were phenomenal. The tables you shared used a variety of different R packages for generating tables, they were imaginative, and they were very interesting to read. We’ve also seen beautiful examples of tables produced in R shared in social media, and we were similarly blown away by them. Because we can’t get enough of your well-put-together work, we’re announcing the RStudio Table Contest of 2021. It will run from September 30th to November 15th, 2021.

We’ve seen time and again how the R community is open and generous in sharing the code and process needed to solve problems. We appreciate seeing it because that lets others learn, it gets communication going, and it strengthens the community. It’s hoped that this year’s contest will provide more opportunities for sharing and education. We, in turn, will want to recognize and celebrate all the ways people work with and display tabular data with R.

Entry Requirements and Evaluation Criteria

Every submission needs to include all code and data that was used (this is so that each entry can be reproduced). However, an entry can be submitted in one of several different forms; examples include: an R Markdown document with code (which might be published to RPubs or shinyapps.io), a repository, or an RStudio Cloud project.

A submission can use any table-making package available in R, and there are lots of them (DT, gt, flextable, kableExtra, reactable, huxtable, etc.).

Submission Types

We are looking for two main types of table submissions:

1. Single Table Example: This may highlight interesting structuring of content, useful and tricky features – for example enabling interaction – or serve as an example of a common table popular in a specific field. Please document your code for clarity and keep these consise and reproducible.
2. Tutorial: It’s all about teaching us how to craft an excellent table or understand a package’s features. This may include several tables and narrative.

The Submission Form and Contest Deadline

You can submit your entry for the contest by filling in an online form. The form will generate a post on RStudio Community, which you can then edit further if you like. Feel free in making multiple entries if you have lots to share.

Given that tables have different features and purposes, we’d also like you to categorize the submission table. There are four categories: static-HTML, interactive-HTML, static-print, and interactive-Shiny. Simply choose the one that best fits your table.

The deadline for submissions is November 15th, 2021 at midnight Pacific Time.

Evaluation of Entries

After the submission deadline has passed, we will get to evaluating the tables in a timely manner. Tables will be judged based on technical merit, artistic design, and quality of documentation. We know that certain tables may excel in only some of these criteria and our evaluation process will keep this in mind.

Prizes

We have some great prizes lined up this year! (We like to reward table work.) We will announce the winners and their submissions on the RStudio Blog, in RStudio Community, and also on Twitter.

• The Grand Prize
  • A randomized combination of RStudio t-shirts, books, and mugs (worth up to $200), plus the prizes below.
    ^{(*Please note that we may not be able to send t-shirts, books, or other items larger than stickers to non-US addresses for which shipping and customs costs are high.)}
• Runners Up
  • Face time with people making table-making packages! They are all excellent conversationalists and it’ll be fun.
  • This prize also includes a one-year subscription to the Shinyapps.io Basic plan, plus the prize below.
• Honorable Mentions
  • A larger-than-large helping of hexagon-shaped stickers for RStudio packages plus a side of hex for table-making packages (and other goodies).
  • Inclusion in the soon to be announced RStudio Table Gallery.

A Note on a Future Tables Gallery

The Shiny Gallery is a great resource and it has been driven by entries to several Shiny contests. We are still planning on developing an analogous Tables Gallery; winners and other participants may be invited to feature their work in such a gallery. We’ll definitely keep you posted on our progress with this initiative.