Moussa Thiam (left) and Teri Slade (center), winners of the 2017 uOttawa Ma thèse en 180 secondes and 3MT competitions. Danny Jooma (right), has won second place at the competition as well as Raphaëlle Robidoux (absent from the picture).

Thesis prizes and contests

Prizes awarded by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

A total of 10 thesis prizes are available each year, six for PhD theses and four for master’s theses. Prizes are awarded in June.
 

Prizes for master's thesis

Description
The Commission on graduate studies in humanities prize Awarded annually for an outstanding master’s thesis in one of the disciplines in the Commission on graduate studies in humanities
The Commission on graduate studies in sciences prize Awarded annually for an outstanding master’s thesis in one of the disciplines in the Commission on graduate studies in sciences.
Joseph De Koninck prize Awarded for the best master’s thesis in an interdisciplinary or collaborative program.
   

Prizes for doctorate thesis

  
Governor general's gold medals Three gold medals awarded to the best doctoral thesis, one in each of the following branches: 1- Arts, Social Sciences, Law and Education; 2- Sciences and Engineering; 3- Health Sciences, Medecine and Interdisciplinary programs.
Pierre Laberge prize Two Pierre Laberge prizes awarded to the best doctoral thesis, one in the Humanities, and one in the Sciences
Joseph De Koninck prize Awarded for the best doctoral thesis in an interdisciplinary or collaborative program.

Who is eligible?

Any thesis recommended for a prize at the oral defence is eligible. In order to be eligible, the final version of the thesis must have been submitted electronically through uO Research between January 1st and December 31 of the previous year. A thesis submitted after December 31, will be considered for next year’s competition.

How to nominate candidates?

The graduate studies office of each faculty is responsible for pre-selecting and submitting the complete nomination files to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. If a thesis meets the eligibility requirements of more than one prize, it can be recommended for each one.

The faculty must ensure that the file contains a nomination letter of no more than two pages. The nomination letter must include the name of the student and describe the following:

  • The reasons the thesis is deserving of the prize
  • The nominee’s contribution to the body of research in the discipline
  • The nominee’s contributions in other scholarly endeavours
  • The nominee’s potential as a researcher

The letter must be signed by the nominee’s thesis supervisor, the chair of the nominee’s academic unit or the director of graduate studies.

Deadlines

The winners are chosen in February-March among the recommendations of the faculties.

The Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will convene a selection committee to review the nominees’ files.

The selection committee will announce the winners by May 15. Decisions are based on the examiners’ reports submitted prior to the oral defence and the nomination letter of the Faculty.

Recipients

Presentation of prizes

The winners of the Governor General’s Gold Medal will be announced at the Spring Convocation ceremonies. The medal will be handed in person to those winners who are present. As such, attendance at the ceremony of these recipients is especially important. All other prize winners will receive their certificate and prize money shortly after the Convocation.

The names of the winners and the prizes will be announced on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website. A mention of the prize will also appear on winning students’ transcripts.

Other prizes

Prizes list and description
 

Prizes

Description
3MT and Ma thèse en 180 secondes 3-Minute Thesis and Ma thèse en 180 secondes competitions give to graduate students the opportunity to take on a big challenge:  present in a compelling way their thesis topic and its significance in just three minutes. 3MT and MT180 are the perfect occasion for them to improve their communication skills while offering a unique environment to present their research in the public  space.
Canada's Distinguished Dissertation Awards (CAGS) The CAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards have been recognizing outstanding Canadian doctoral dissertations for more than 20 years. The Association seeks work that makes significant, original contributions to both the academic community and to Canadian society. There are two awards: one for engineering, medical sciences and natural sciences; and one for fine arts, humanities and social sciences. 
CO-OP student of the year award

Each academic year (summer, fall and winter), one student per faculty receives a Student of the Year Award. These students must have shown excellence in the following areas:

  • On-the-job achievement
  • Academic achievement
  • Extra-curricular activities at school, at work or in the community
John Charles Polanyi Prizes

In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Government of the Province of Ontario has established a fund to provide annually up to five prizes to outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career who are continuing to post-doctoral studies or have recently started a faculty appointment at an Ontario university.