The Steacie Prize is a Canadian award of $10,000 presented once a year to a scientist or engineer of 40 years of age or less for outstanding scientific research carried out in Canada.
The winner is selected by a distinguished panel which is appointed annually by the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fund, a private foundation dedicated to the advancement of science and engineering in Canada.
Nominations of candidates should be made by a colleague, and should include a description and evaluation of the nominee’s work, together with a curriculum vitae, a publication list, and letters from independent referees. The Memorial Fund is committed to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion in the selection process; an EDI statement may be included in the nomination letter or curriculum vitae.
The Steacie Prize winner is announced in December and one or more finalists may be recognized via a letter to the candidate from the Secretary of the Steacie Memorial Fund.
Candidates for the prize are nominated by their colleagues. Nomination packages for which the nomination letter plus curriculum vitae are longer than 25 pages (single-sided) may be edited for brevity. The nominations should contain:
A nomination letter explaining why the candidate should be considered for the prize, and giving the candidate’s birth date. Extensions beyond the 40 year age requirement are permitted for official leaves, including parental and sick leave, and must be specified in the nomination letter.
A curriculum vitae with publication list.
Letters of support from a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 independent referees with recognized expertise in the candidate’s field. Referees are requested to explain their knowledge of the research area and nominee and are encouraged to focus on the significance, originality and impact of the science without repeating information from the nomination letter and curriculum vitae.
Each year the Trustees appoint a panel of distinguished scientists and engineers representative of the natural sciences and engineering to select the best candidate. Some panelists are former recipients of the Steacie Prize.