NSERC Geoffrey Hinton Prize

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• be eligible to hold NSERC grant funds
• be applying to the Discovery Grants program in the current competition (i.e. submitting an application for the 2 November 2026 deadline)
• have held an independent academic position for 10 years or less as of December 1 of the year in which you apply
• cannot have received an Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship from NSERC. 

Please see NSERC's definition of an independent academic position and eligible delays in research that adjust the 10-year eligibility window.  

You are ineligible to receive a Geoffrey Hinton Prize if you have received an Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship.

Applications of AI must be within the natural sciences and engineering.

NSERC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applicants and applications.

Summary

Summary

The NSERC Geoffrey Hinton Prizes recognize Discovery Grant applicants whose creative application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the natural sciences and engineering has generated or is poised to generate significant impact. The prizes are intended to accelerate discovery and innovation in the natural sciences and engineering by recognizing and supporting early-stage researchers who are leveraging AI in novel, innovative and impactful ways.

How to apply

You must submit your Discovery Grant and Geoffrey Hinton Prize applications separately, but the two application processes are linked.

To be considered for a Geoffrey Hinton Prize, you must first submit your full Discovery Grant application through the Research Portal following all applicable internal processes and deadlines (see Discovery Grant program description for instructions and application deadline).

Then, before the application deadline for the Geoffrey Hinton Prizes, submit a supporting document and a terms and conditions  form through the Innovative Collaborations and Science Promotion secure submission site . (In the “Title of application” field of the terms and conditions form, please enter the title of your Discovery Grant application.)

The supporting document should be a maximum of one page if written in English and one and half pages if written in French. In the supporting document:

• include any additional information, beyond the content of your Discovery Grant application, to support your candidacy for a Geoffrey Hinton Prize
• include the same first name, last name and email address you used to submit your Discovery Grant application in the Research Portal

The supporting document will only be used if you reach the second phase of the review process (see Review process for more information).

Submit your supporting document and terms and conditions form through the Innovative Collaborations and Science Promotion secure submission site .

Application deadline

You must submit your supporting document and the terms and conditions  form for the Geoffrey Hinton Prizes before 8 pm EST on November 5, 2026.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

No additional approvals are required to submit a self-nomination for the NSERC Geoffrey Hinton Prize, however NSERC DG applicants must follow all applicable approvals processes as outlined in the full program entry. 

SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee:
The SUPPORT: Research Awards committee is now available to review and provide feedback to strengthen nominations for major research prizes and awards and advise on the suitability of award nominations. This committee is comprised of distinguished University of Calgary faculty who have won major national awards and sat on national award selection committees.

The SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee will review the 1-page supplement for the NSERC Geoffrey Hinton Prize; SUPPORT will not provide feedback on the full DG application package.

If you wish for the SUPPORT: Research Awards committee to review and provide feedback on a nomination package, please include the following materials:

• Supporting Document for NSERC Geoffrey Hinton Prize (maximum 1 page)
• Full draft of NSERC DG application (in any format; will be available to SUPPORT committee as context only; the DG application will not receive feedback from SUPPORT)

2026 SUPPORT Nomination Review Deadline: October 19, 2026

Your Faculty or Associate Dean (Research) must submit the request for review to researchawards@ucalgary.ca.

• Each submission must include a SUPPORT Review Form.