CAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards & UBC Dissertation Prize – Apply by Feb 26 (4pm)

CAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards – PhD

The CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award recognizes Canadian doctoral dissertations that make unusually significant and original contributions to their academic field. They were established in 1994 and are presented annually by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS), with sponsorship support provided by ProQuest. There are two awards: one for engineering, medical sciences and natural sciences; and one for fine arts, humanities and social sciences.  To be eligible, dissertations must have been completed and accepted by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024. Winners of this award will be granted a $1,500 cash prize, a certificate of recognition, and an opportunity to attend the 62nd Annual CAGS Conference, to be held in Ottawa, ON in November 2025.

Application package must include:

  • a letter from the student’s supervisor or program director describing the reasons for the nomination, and why the dissertation constitutes a significant piece of original work
  • a copy of the external examiner’s pre-defence report.  The examiner’s report must be dated and signed or otherwise authenticated by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
  • an abstract of the dissertation, not exceeding 350 words, written by the candidate in non-technical language
  • an up-to-date c.v. of the nominee

Application deadline:

For eligibility requirements and application procedures, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/cagsproquest-distinguished-dissertation-awards

UBC Dissertation Prize

Three prizes of $1,000 each have been made available annually by the University of British Columbia for students whose doctoral dissertations are of exceptional quality and originality and make a significant contribution to the scholarly field and/or society. One prize will be offered in each of the following fields: social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health sciences. The prizes are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and recipients will be chosen from nominations to the CAGS/Proquest Distinguished Dissertation Awards competition.

Nomination and selection of successful candidates will be routed through the CAGS ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards. For eligibility requirements and nomination procedures, please refer to the criteria for the CAGS ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards available online here: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/cagsproquest-distinguished-dissertation-awards

Please reach out to admissions@mech.ubc.ca if you have any questions.