Canadian Science Policy Centre Awards

Eligibility

Trailblazer Awards:

• Nominees must be residents of Canada or Canadian citizens living abroad.
• Nominees can be at any stage of their career.
• Nominees can be from any sector, including industry, government, academia, not-for-profit organizations, media, etc.
• Scores and feedback provided by the Awards Selection Committee will not be disclosed for any reason.
• Upon Nominees’ consent, the CSPC reserves the right to profile any Impact Statement in all conference materials and on the CSPC website before, during, and after the event.
• The CSPC and the Awards Selection Committee members will not release any confidential information from the nomination form.
• The current CSPC Board, staff, Award Committee volunteers, and members of the Awards Selection Committee cannot nominate anyone nor be nominated.

Youth Award:

• Applicants must be under the age of 35 at the time of submission.
• Applicants must be a resident of Canada or a Canadian citizen studying or working abroad.
• Policy proposals must have an expected positive impact for Canada.
• Scores and feedback provided by the Award Selection Committee will not be disclosed for any reason.
• All applicants give the CSPC the right to profile their submission in all conference materials and/or on the CSPC website before, during, and after the event.
• The CSPC and the Awards Selection Committee members will keep the personal  information of applicants confidential.
• The current CSPC Board, management, staff, volunteers and members of the Awards Selection Committee, may not apply for the Science Policy Youth Award. 
• The winner will be required to provide a brief biography prior to the award ceremony.

Summary

CSPC Trailblazer Awards: 

The CSPC Trailblazer Awards recognize individuals who have positively and significantly impacted Canada’s science, technology, and innovation policy ecosystem through vision, creativity, and impact. These individuals have been instrumental in boldly spearheading change via one or more transformative initiatives, while blazing a trail and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. 

CSPC 2026 will present four Trailblazer Awards, one in each of the categories: Policy for Science, Science for Policy, Innovation Policy, and Science & Society.

Science Policy Youth Award:

The Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) is pleased to announce that the competition for the Youth Award in Science and Innovation Policy is now open. CSPC is committed to building capacity and empowering the next generation of scientists and policymakers, developing their expertise, and showcasing their talent. We encourage applications from individuals under 35, across all disciplines, sectors, and career stages, for this prestigious award.

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

Applications/nominations must be in English or French and submitted by Sunday June 14, 2026 before midnight (applicant’s local time).