Prestigious awards

Prestigious awards are an opportunity for University of Waterloo researchers to be recognized and rewarded by external organizations for the value of their research.

The Waterloo Awards Committee promotes and facilitates the submission of high-quality nominations of Waterloo scholars across all disciplines for prestigious awards and honorific titles.

The list below provides detail categorized by discipline with further detail about eligibility requirements, etc.

Please note that deadlines or anticipated deadlines change often so check the website for the organization that is presenting the award regularly to be sure of the deadline.

General Interest

Health

Humanities and Social Sciences

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Awards

RSC Medals

Upcoming Deadlines

All dates and links are anticipated but may change between now and the final deadline. Please note that many sponsors do not update their websites until 2-3 months before the deadline date. Always double-check sponsor websites before committing to a nomination.

Watch for updates on deadlines for awards in the following categories:

LIST OF AWARDS DUE JANUARY TO APRIL

All dates and nomination requirements are subject to change. Please consult the sponsor’s websites before committing to a course of action. 

Due date Award
Rolling deadline Order of Canada
January 17 Awards for Excellence in Cancer Research (Canadian Cancer Society)
January 18 Swedish Steel Prize
January 20 Volvo Environment Prize
January 30 NSERC Science Exposed
January 30 (anticipated) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
January 31 Japan Prize in Science and Technology
January 31 Gerda Henkel Prize
January 31 Energy Globe Award
January 31 Welch Award in Chemistry

February 1 (Internal NOI)

April 30 (anticipated)

Stein Rokkan Prize

Extended to February 1 (Internal deadline)

April 1* (External deadline)

SSHRC Impact Awards
February 1 Harvey Prize

February 5 (Request for Institutional nominations due)

March 15 (updated sponsor deadline)

Royal Society of Canada - Medals and Awards
February 8 Article of Year (CIHR-IHSPR) (CAHSPR)
February 16 Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research
February 23 Premier Royal Society (UK) Medals and Awards
February 24 Rumelhart Prize
February (anticipated) Copley Medal
February 27 2022-2023 Minister of Colleges and Universities Awards of Excellence
February 28 Grawemeyer Award in Psychology
March 1 Achievement Awards - ARVO Foundation for Eye Research (AFER) - Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)

March 1 (Internal NOI to nominate)

WXN Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100
March 1 American Statistical Association
March 1 Society of Women Engineers
March 6 Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
March 10 (anticipated) Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards
March 15 Ida B. Wells-Troy Duster Award
March 15* Balzan Prize
March 15 Harvey Prize
March 20 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation - American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
March 31 King Faisal International Prize in Science
March 31 Early-career scientist prize in atomic, molecular and optical physics - International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
March 31 Bower Award & Prize for Achievement in Science
March 31 Order of Ontario
March 31 Innovators in Science Award
April 1* (awarded biennially in odd years - 2025) Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize
April 1 Oral History Association - Book Award
April 1* Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Award
April 1 Breakthrough Prizes
April 1 Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering
April 3 Community-Based Research Canada
April 3 (anticipated) High Performance Computing Excellence Award
April 15* (anticipated) International Cosmos Prize
April 15 2024 CIHR-ICRH/CCCS Distinguished Lecturer Award in Critical Care Sciences
April 15 2024 CIHR-ICRH/CCCS Mid-Career Lecturer Award in Critical Care Sciences
April 17 - 2:00 pm (Viet Nam time (GMT +7) VinFuture Prize
April 20 (anticipated) Research Canada Leadership Award
April 20 American Public Health Association Award
April 30 (anticipated) Marcus Wallenberg Prize*
April 30 (anticipated) The Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research
April 30 Outstanding Achievement Award in the Evaluation of Clinical Competence

*Awards indicated with * require the President’s signature and/or letter of support

LIST OF AWARDS DUE MAY TO AUGUST

All dates and nomination requirements are subject to change. Please consult the sponsor’s websites before committing to a course of action. 

Due date Award
May 1 World Food Prize
May 1 Modern Language Association - Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prizes
May 1 Modern Language Association - William Sanders Scarborough Prize
May 15 Achievement Medals - Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
May 15 NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award
May 31 Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory
May 31 Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics
May 31  Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry
May 31 SAE International Award for Commercial Vehicle Innovation honouring Magnus Hendrickson
May 31 Award for Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference
May 31 David P. Robbins Prize
June 1 Joseph B. Gitler Award
June 1 (anticipated) Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts
June 1 USERN Prize
June 1 John von Neumann Theory Prize
June 3 W.K.H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics
June 3 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science
June 6 Killam Prizes
June 10 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame - Laureate
June 13 Dorothy Killam Fellowship
June 14 (anticipated) Impactful Actions Award - Profound Impact
June 15 (annually) Holberg International Memorial Prize
June 15 (annually) The Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application
June 15 (annually) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Medal of Honour
June 15 (anticipated) Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology
June 20 Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowship
June 24 (anticipated) CANIE Awards
June 30 (anticipated) L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science
July 15 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
July 30 (anticipated) BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Awards
June 30 Marconi Prize
August 11 (date fluctuates) Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

*Awards indicated with * require the President’s signature and/or letter of support

LIST OF AWARDS DUE SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER

All dates and nomination requirements are subject to change. Please consult the sponsor’s websites before committing to a course of action. 

Due date Award
September 1 Abel Prize

Expression of Interest (non-binding): September 7 

Internal Deadline: September 22 

Sponsor Deadline: November 7  

Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity
Internal: September 27, 2023; Sponsor: September 29, 2023 2024 Governor General's Innovation Awards [Federation for Humanities and Social Sciences]
September 23, 2023 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships
September 30 Stockholm Water Prize
October 5 Molson Prize
October 20 (anticipated) Wolf Prize
October 30 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program
October 31 (annually) Blue Planet Prize
October31, 2023 (awarded bi-annually in even years) Millennium Technology Prize
November 1 (annually) Priestley Medal

Internal Deadline: October 16, 2023

External Deadline: November 1, 2023

Frontiers Planet Prize

Internal Deadline: October 17, 2023

Sponsor Deadline: November 2, 2023

2024 - Governor General's Innovation Awards [Universities Canada]
November 8 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize
November 14 Fondation Fyssen International Prize
November 15 NSERC Award for Science Promotion
November 24 Eni Awards
November 24 (anticipated) Governor General's International Award in Canadian Studies
November 28 Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
November 28 NSERC John C. Polanyi Award
November 28 Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering
November 28 Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering 
November 30 (anticipated) Bank of Canada - Fellowship Award
November 30 (anticipated) Bank of Canada - Governor’s Award
November 30 (Apply in even years) Jose Vasconcelos World Award of Education
November 30* Albert Einstein World Award of Science
November 30 Leonardo da Vinci's World Award of Arts
December 8 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards
December 14 Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships
December 14 Synergy Awards for Innovation
December 15 Fellow of Royal Society of Canada
December 15 RSC College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists
December 15 (annually) Gruber Prizes
December 31, 2025 (every 4 years) Fields Medal
Rolling deadline Benjamin Franklin Medals

Recent presentations

NSERC McDonald Fellowships information session (September 8, 2023)

Request President's Letter for Prestigious Awards

If you require a letter from the President as part of an application for a prestigious award, please complete the form.

Pivot-RP

Learn more about Pivot-RP, a new searchable funding programs database, and how you can start searching for funding opportunities, access training videos, and more.

Global Excellence Initiative (GEI)

Launched in 2012 by former Governor General of Canada David Johnston, GEI promotes the recognition of Canadian research talent on the international stage by identifying and offering assistance to meritorious candidates for prestigious national and international awards.

Recent Awards Stories

John McPhee (Systems Design Engineering) Gold Medal, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE)

Chris Yakymchuk (Earth and Environmental Sciences)2024 Early Geological Career Award - Geological Society of America Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Petrology and Volcanology (MGPV) Division 

Ming Li (Cheriton School of Computer Science), W. Wallace McDowell Award, IEEE Computer Society

Shai Ben-David (Cheriton School of Computer Science) 2023 ACM Fellow - Association for for Computing Machinery

Ian Goldberg (Cheriton School of Computer Science) 2023 ACM Fellow - Association for for Computing Machinery

Nikolas Knowles (Kinesiology and Health Sciences) Stars Career Development Award, Arthritis Society of Canada  

Four Waterloo researchers among CSPC Science Meets Parliament program delegates

  • Lai-Tze Fan, SSHRC Tier II Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change & Assistant Professor in Sociology & Legal Studies
  • Laura Hug, NSERC Tier II Canada Research Chair in Environmental Microbiology & associate professor in Biology
  • Michelle Rutty, SSHRC Tier II Canada Research Chair in Tourism, Environment and Sustainability & assistant professor in Geography and Environmental Management
  • Derek Schipper, NSERC Tier II Canada Research Chair in Organic Material Synthesis & associate professor in Chemistry