News

We’re pleased to announce the 2026 Project SOY Plus Creative & Project Stream winners.

This year’s selections reflect the strength, creativity and innovative thinking across an exceptionally competitive field! Below, you’ll find brief descriptions of each winning project, followed by a complete list of all the teams and students who competed in 2026.

Project Stream

Diploma

First Place: I've Got Me A Shovel

Isabel Schyrer, Equine Care and Management

The Agricultural Genomics Action Centre (AG-ACt) refined a University of Guelph training program to help research teams build practical skills in visual communication. Drawing on insights from the Infographics in Practice program (funded by Food from Thought), the program supported participants in:

Each winter, northern communities depend on road salt to keep drivers safe; more than 20 billion kilograms of salt are applied each year across North America and northern Europe. With that much salt being used, municipalities need to find smarter ways to balance public safety with the protection of freshwater ecosystems and groundwater sources. At University of Guelph, a collaborative research team led by Dr.

Three 3 dry bean varieties are being offered for a licensing opportunity, which includes: OAC 23-1 navy bean, OAC 22-B1 black bean and OAC 23-D1 dark red kidney bean.

The successful application will be granted exclusive rights within the designated territory; encompassing both Canada and the U.S. These rights include seed increase, distribution, and commercialization. 

Closing Date: Proposals must be received by 4:00 pm (ET) Monday, August 25, 2025 to be considered. 

When farmers are engaged members of the agri-food research process, researchers can ensure that their projects have real-world impacts while farmers benefit from being at the forefront of innovations. But there are many complicating factors that make this a difficult synergy to maintain.

The Infographics in Practice Program

Infographics are an increasingly popular communication tool, valued for their combination of visual intrigue and text-based information. We asked graduate students to create an infographic based on an agri-food or biodiversity topic of their choice. 9 students participated in the 2025 program and 14 participated in 2024 - check out their final projects below!

Use the arrows below to view the  finalists' creations. 

The call for license proposals is closed. If you have questions or would like to be notified of future opportunities, please contact Stephen Dinka (Technolog Transfer Manager - Germplasm) at germplasm@uoguelph.ca.

13 dry bean varieties are being offered for a final licensing opportunity, which includes: 4 navy beans, 3 cranberry beans, 2 kidney beans, 2 yellow beans, and 2 pinto beans.

Matt Stiver is a University of Guelph engineering graduate that turned his passion for coffee into a thriving YouTube channel called Lifestyle Lab. With over 85,000 subscribers and nearly 23 million views Stiver's channel offers tutorials on using various espresso machines. His journey began as a student filling in a gap in online resources for coffee enthusiasts. Today he balances his full-time engineering career with his YouTube endeavours and showcasing local coffee shops and planning to expand his team.

Ontario-based cleaning service Hellamaid is investing in the next generation of changemakers through their annual scholarship program, offering $500 every semester to a Canadian college or university student committed to academic and personal growth. This financial support aims to help students achieve their educational and career goals while celebrating their resilience and ambition!

What to Submit

Write a brief essay on the topic, "How a Clean and Organized Home Improves Focus and Mental Health for Students."

Submission Details

Commercialization Success