Sponsor
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Program
Impact Awards
Description
SSHRC Impact Awards are designed to build on and sustain Canada’s research-based knowledge culture in the social sciences and humanities. The awards recognize outstanding researchers and celebrate their achievements in research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or completely by SSHRC.
Award funds are to be used for activities that promote and extend the work being honoured. In recognition of the crucial role that postsecondary institutions play as researchers’ knowledge mobilization partners, at least 10 per cent of each award must be used to promote the recipient’s research achievements. Individual recipients and their institutions may choose to devote additional funds, including a higher percentage of the award funds, to these activities.
Each institution may submit only one nomination for each award in a given year.
Gold Medal ($100,000): The Gold Medal is SSHRC’s highest research honour. It is awarded to an individual whose sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought have inspired students and colleagues alike. The recipient’s achievements in research must have significantly advanced understanding in their respective fields of research in the social sciences and humanities. The exceptional quality and impact of the recipient’s research, and their ongoing efforts to share the results of this work must have greatly enriched Canadian society, and contributed to social, cultural, economic and intellectual life in Canada and/or internationally.
Insight Award ($50,000): The Insight Award recognizes outstanding achievement arising from a research project funded partially or completely by SSHRC. It is given to an individual or a team of six people maximum (including the nominee) whose project has significantly contributed to knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world. The project’s research outcomes must have led to demonstrable impact within the nominee’s fields of research and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community. In the case of a team project, the nominee must be the project’s principal investigator. If successful, this person will receive the award on behalf of the team.
Partnership Award ($50,000): The Partnership Award recognizes outstanding achievement and societal impact of a project funded through SSHRC’s Research Partnerships funding opportunities in advancing knowledge through research partnerships and/or collaborative knowledge mobilization activities, all while supporting the next generation of scholars. The Partnership Award is awarded to a partnership (at the local, national and/or international level) that, through mutual cooperation and shared intellectual leadership and resources, has demonstrated intellectual, social, cultural and/or economic impact within and/or beyond a local community, the partner organizations and/or the academic sector. One project lead must be designated as the nominee to administer the award. However, up to two project co-leads from the winning partnership can be invited to accept the award on behalf of the partnership at the Impact Awards ceremony.
More information on the above mentioned awards can be found on the SSHRC Impact Awards website.
Eligibility
A nominee must:
- be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or a “protected person” under subsection 95(2) of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, by the nomination deadline;
- be an active social sciences and humanities researcher or student;
- hold or have held SSHRC funding pertinent to the award category;
- be in good standing with SSHRC;
- be affiliated with an institution eligible to administer SSHRC funds; and,
- if the recipient of an award, maintain affiliation with an eligible institution for the duration of the award
Nominees:
- cannot nominate themselves;
- can be nominated in two sequential years for the same award, following which two years must pass before they can next be nominated in the same category;
- can be nominated in only one category in any year;
- can be nominated in a subsequent year for a different SSHRC Impact Award; and,
- cannot be a current member of SSHRC's governing council, a previous Gold Medal winner or a SSHRC Impact Awards jury member
To be eligible to administer an award, the institution affiliated with an Impact Award winner must provide SSHRC with a promotion strategy (two pages maximum) outlining a proposed approach for promoting and celebrating the impact and outcomes of the award winner’s research initiative. Further details of eligibility can be found on the SSHRC Impact Awards website. All award funds must be used within one year.
Prize
- Gold Medal ($100,000)
- Insight Award ($50,000)
- Partnership Award ($50,000)
Special Notes
The University will submit a maximum of four nominations (across all categories) in the 2026 competition.
Deadlines
Consult your College regarding applicable internal review deadlines and requirements.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | College-level review and adjudication is required for candidates seeking VPRI nomination. Each College establishes and communicates its own internal deadline and submission requirements. Please contact your College Research Support contact for details on the process and timeline. | |
Internal Deadline | Each College submits one draft nomination package to Kumudinie Kariyapperuma. | |
External Deadline | NOTE: This is an anticipated deadline and is subject to confirmation once the current year's award information is available. If your nomination is submitted by a nominator other than the VPRI, or if you are submitting a self-nomination, please submit the nomination directly to the sponsor by the external deadline. Please also submit a copy of the complete nomination package and OR-5 (applicable to nominations that receive funding if successful) to research.services@uoguelph.ca. |
How to Apply
The VPRI encourages nominations for this prestigious award and will serve as the nominator for candidates selected through the College-level review process.
If you wish to nominate a colleague or be considered for VPRI nomination, please contact your College Research Support contact to express your interest and obtain information about the College's nomination process, submission requirements and College deadline.
RSO will receive one nomination per College by the internal deadline. RSO will then work with the selected nominees and their respective Colleges to further develop and strengthen the nominations, ensuring they align with the award criteria and requirements.
For the SSHRC Impact Awards, a developed nomination package will include: an institutional nomination form, an institutional nomination letter/rationale, a supporting information package, a Tri-Agency CV and three letters of support.
Career Interruptions
Career interruptions due to parental leave, family care, extended illness or community responsibilities will be taken into consideration when assessing candidates' research productivity.
Nominations Submitted by Someone Other Than the VPRI
If your nomination will be submitted by a nominator other than the VPRI, or directly by you (self-nomination), please submit the nomination to the sponsor by the external deadline. Please also provide a copy of the complete nomination and the OR-5 (applicable to nominations that receive funding if successful) to research.services@uoguelph.ca.
For More Application Information
For more information on the nomination process and details, please contact your College Research Support contact, or see the SSHRC Impact Awards website.
For More Information
Contact kkariyap@uoguelph.ca or see the SSHRC Impact Awards website.