Established in 1997 in recognition of the primary importance of excellence in geography in the service of government or business, the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) offers this award to someone who has carried out major work for or in the public or private sector.

Normally a nominee would have distinguished himself or herself through the development or application of geographic techniques or tools used in the service of government or business or has a record of achievement for geography in the service of government or business over a long period of time.

No award was made in: 1998, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.

This award is intended to recognize a member of the CAG for exceptional professional service over a period of years, for example, in the university training of geographers, in administration or similar activities in the public service, as an officer of a learned society, or in such other ways as have significantly advanced the profession and practice of geography in Canada.

No award was made in: 1998, 2009, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

In recognition of the primary importance of teaching excellence in geographic education, the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) offers, since 1997, this award to a member of the CAG who teaches in a recognized university, college, CEGEP or high school.

At a minimum, a nominee must be the member of the teaching staff, full or part-time, hired to teach a course in any one year, who has primary responsibility for organizing and presenting course material. Normally, a nominee would be a member of the teaching staff who has distinguished herself or himself in courses with small and large enrolments, at different levels of instruction, over several years of teaching in the nominating institution.

No award was made in: 2002.

The President’s Award for Outstanding Service is made with the support of the CAG President to honour an outstanding contribution to the mission of the Canadian Association of Geographers. It recognizes exceptional service to the association, its members, and affiliates by a member of the association.

Recipients of the award have gone well beyond their assigned responsibilities and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the association. The award is intended to acknowledge and publicly celebrate these outstanding contributions, all the while acknowledging that the integrity and dedication the recipients have brought to the association is simply beyond measure. The award was initiated in 2011.

Earlier recipients

• 2018: Lynn Moorman, Beth Dye, Matthew Hatvany, Marie-Pierre Guy-Dorion, Maxwell Bouchard
• 2017: K. Wayne Forsythe, Ryerson University
• 2016: Jean Andrey, University of Waterloo
• 2011: Mary-Louise Byrne, Wilfrid Laurier University
• 2011: Ian MacLachlan, University of Lethbridge
• 2011: Dan Smith, University of Victoria

The award is presented annually by the Canadian Association of Geographers in recognition of exemplary and sustained commitment to mentoring within geography. It recognizes the important contributions of individuals who guide, encourage, support, and spark passion in geography for students and early career scholars.

The award commemorates the contributions of Professor Eric Crighton in supporting and guiding students and early career scholars in their geography studies and careers.

Eric was a medical geographer and Professor in Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa, where his research focused on prenatal, pediatric, and Indigenous environmental health.

For over 20 years, he supported the growth of numerous future geographers who went on to successful careers within and outside academia, provided guidance for many early career scholars, and championed the CAG and its study groups as a means of supporting students across the country.

1. The award recognizes mentorship within the context of Canadian geography. Mentorship is understood as a relational process that shares wisdom, insight, skills, psychosocial support, and career guidance to enable a mentee’s individual growth and achievement of goals. This may take the form of an individual one-on-one relationship or a collective community relationship, and may be formal or informal.
2. The recipient of the award must be:
   • A member of the Canadian Association of Geographers prior to the time of nomination
   • A Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Recommendations for the award are made to the CAG Executive by the CAG Awards Committee.

Nominations are to be submitted through a letter to the Chair of the CAG Awards Committee, along with the completed cover page signed by three CAG members in good standing and/or current or former students, trainees, mentees, and colleagues of the nominee.

The letter of nomination should identify the nominee’s mentorship contributions and explain why these contributions are significant.

Additionally, a minimum of three and a maximum of ten personal reflection letters, maximum one page and single spaced, should be included in the nomination package as supporting evidence.

These personal reflection letters should explain how the nominee has impacted the individual’s development, career, and life, and may be written by CAG members or non-members.

Applicants are encouraged to read the testimonials provided by peers and mentees of Eric as a way to prepare their application and gauge their nominee’s suitability for the award.

The Julian M. Szeicz Award honours the memory and achievement of Dr. Julian M. Szeicz (1965 to 1998). The award is presented annually by the Canadian Association of Geographers in recognition of research achievement and career potential by a Canadian geographer at an early career stage.

The purpose of the award is to foster the development of geographical studies of Canada and to provide recognition of recently established geographical practitioners.

1. The award recognizes research achievement and career potential in Canadian geography. This may take the form of:
   • An original synthesis or regional study
   • A conceptual development
   • A significant research advance in a subfield of geography
   • The development of a technique
2. The recipient of the award must be:
   • A member of the Canadian Association of Geographers prior to the time of nomination
   • A Canadian citizen or landed immigrant
   • Within eight years of graduation, normally from a PhD, but in exceptional circumstances from a Master’s or Bachelor’s programme, on December 31 of the year of the award

Recommendations for the award are made to the Executive of the Canadian Association of Geographers by the CAG Awards Committee.

Nominations are to be made in a letter to the Chair of the CAG Awards Committee, along with the cover page signed by three members of the CAG.

The letter of support should identify the nominee’s research achievement and explain why it is considered significant.

The letter of support, nominee’s current curriculum vitae, and supporting materials to a maximum of thirty pages should be sent as an e-mail attachment to the CAG office by January 31.

Note: Nominees may be nominated multiple times as long as they remain eligible, but a new updated nomination package must be submitted each year.

The Starkey-Robinson Award gives recognition to high quality graduate research that furthers understanding of the geography of Canada. The Award is adjudicated annually by the Awards Committee of the CAG.

Eligibility for the Award is based on the completion of a thesis or comparable work at the Master’s or Doctoral level at a Canadian university within the preceding two years.

The CAG will accept one nomination for the Award from each Geography department with a graduate program.

1. A brief statement, maximum two pages, outlining the topic and findings of the work and explaining its significance for the geography of Canada.
2. A thesis or dissertation abstract of no more than 750 words.
3. A list of scholarly or other contributions and any awards arising from the thesis or dissertation, maximum two pages.

Examples may include peer-reviewed publications that are published, in press, or accepted (not submitted or in preparation); completed conference presentations or posters; invited seminars; media engagement about the research; creative or artistic knowledge translation strategies; and other public non-academic dissemination activities.

This may also include any awards associated with these dissemination activities, such as best paper or best presentation awards.

Note: The two-page nomination is typically written by the student’s supervisor.

Each nomination and accompanying documents should be submitted electronically to the CAG office by Departmental Chairs or Graduate Supervisors by January 31.

The Award is a cash prize, currently a single award of $500. The number and value of awards made annually will be determined from time to time by the Executive Committee of the CAG.

In any year, the Awards Committee may decline to make an award.

The Robin P. Armstrong Memorial Prize recognizes and promotes excellence in applied research related to First Nation/Aboriginal/Indigenous peoples in Canada. It was established to commemorate the contribution of Robin P. Armstrong to research on Aboriginal issues within the Government of Canada and the CAG.

The prize is drawn from a fund established in Robin Armstrong’s memory with donations from the Armstrong family and individuals who wish to commemorate Robin and support Indigenous studies in this way.

The Indigenous Peoples Working Group (IPWG) of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) was pleased to award the first Armstrong Memorial Prize in 2002 to Dr. Kathleen Wilson for her Ph.D. dissertation entitled “The Role of Mother Earth in Shaping the Health of Anishinabek: A Geographical Exploration of Culture, Health and Place.”

The Robin P. Armstrong Memorial Prize for Excellence in Indigenous Studies is awarded to a graduate student in Geography or First Nations/Indigenous Studies for the best Master’s or Ph.D. thesis on a research topic related to First Nations/Aboriginal/Indigenous peoples and issues in Canada.

• Recognize and promote excellence in applied research related to First Nations/Aboriginal/Indigenous peoples in Canada.
• Commemorate the contribution of Robin P. Armstrong in undertaking and promoting excellence in geographical research and quantitative analysis on Aboriginal issues within the Government of Canada and the CAG.
• Help honour Robin P. Armstrong’s role in founding the Indigenous Peoples Working Group, formerly the Native Canadians Specialty Group of the CAG.

• A cash prize of $500, based on the funds available in the Robin P. Armstrong Memorial Fund.
• Nation-wide publication of the winner’s name on the CAG website.

All students who, in the previous two calendar years, have completed a Master’s or Ph.D. thesis in First Nations/Indigenous Studies or Geography on research related to First Nations/Aboriginal/Indigenous peoples in Canada are eligible.

Note: Any student who holds CAG membership in the year prior to the meeting, as well as the year in which the meeting takes place, is also eligible to apply for a CAG travel grant to present a paper at the annual meeting of the CAG according to the current rules and deadlines of the grant. The deadline for the CAG Travel Grant Application is February 15 of each year. It is strongly suggested that student members apply for the travel grant at the same time they apply for the award in order to meet the deadline.

1. A cover letter
2. A curriculum vitae
3. An abstract of 1000 to 1500 words that outlines:
   • The issue or question studied
   • Review of related literature
   • The design or methodology
   • Findings, statistical results and conclusions
   • A statement of significance

Applications should be sent by e-mail no later than January 31 to:

Deondre Smiles
geographicindigenousfutures@gmail.com
Co-chair, Indigenous Peoples’ Working Group

• Significance of the issue
• Conceptualization, design and execution of the study
• Quality of the results
• Potential for improving theory
• General clarity, insight and originality of the work