Nominators are responsible for preparing the required documentation, which must follow NSERC’s general presentation guidelines. Documents that do not meet the presentation standards may be rejected or at a disadvantage compared to those that meet the standards.

Nominations must be submitted electronically through NSERC’s ICSP Secure Submission Site. All parts of the nomination package must be combined into a single Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Only documents requested by NSERC will be made available to the selection committee. Note that hyperlinked material will not be considered as part of the review process.

For renominations, nominators are asked to submit a complete and updated nomination package.

Nominations must be submitted before 8:00 pm (ET) on the deadline date. Late nominations will not be accepted. Once submitted, nominations cannot be updated.

In January, nominees will receive a system-generated email from NSERC with instructions to complete a self-identification questionnaire. This data provides information on the diversity of the population applying for and receiving NSERC awards. This information increases NSERC’s capacity to monitor its progress on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in its programs, to recognize and remove barriers and to design new measures to achieve greater EDI in the research enterprise. Although completing the questionnaire is required, if you do not want to self-identify, you have the option to choose “I prefer not to answer” for each question. Self-identification data are not seen or used by NSERC peer reviewers.

NSERC is acting on the evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. NSERC strongly encourages nominators to address barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion in their nomination process.

If you are nominating an individual or a group, your nomination package must include the following:

• A completed NSERC Award for Science Promotion nomination form
• A document (maximum three pages) that describes:
  • the nominee’s sustained efforts to inspire public understanding and foster skills development in science and engineering in Canada
  • the impact and duration of the nominee’s activities (nominators are encouraged to include specific measures of impact)
  • the content, originality and target audience of the nominee’s activities
• Three signed letters of recommendation, dated within six months of the nomination deadline. Letters from individuals with first-hand knowledge of the nominee’s activities, especially participants in the outreach activity, are strongly encouraged. Letters must demonstrate the impact of the activities.
• Supporting documentation, such as promotional material, participant feedback, media coverage, publications or awards (maximum four pages).
• A terms and conditions form for nominees, signed by the nominee or the representative of the nominated group (do not use the encrypted digital signature function). Only one representative of a nominated group is required to complete the form. It is the nominee’s responsibility to retain a copy of the agreed terms and conditions for their records.
• A terms and conditions form for nominators, signed by the nominator (do not use the encrypted digital signature function). Only one nominator is required. If more than one nominator is listed on the form, correspondence will be directed solely to the first person named. It is the nominator’s responsibility to retain a copy of the agreed terms and conditions for their records.