The Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the Julian M. Szeicz Award for Early Career Achievement. This annual award celebrates excellence and innovation in Canadian geography by recognizing outstanding research contributions and career potential among early-career geographers.

The Julian M. Szeicz Award honours the memory and achievement of Dr. Julian M. Szeicz (1965–1998). 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.  See the list of previous award recipients.

Criteria 

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, or the development of a technique.
2. The recipient of the award must be:
3. A member of the Canadian Association of Geographers, prior to the time of nomination;
4. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
5. Within eight years of graduation, normally from a PhD, but in exceptional circumstances from a Master’s or Bachelor’s program, on December 31 of the year of the award.

Adjudication 

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

Nominations

Nominations are to be made in a letter to the Chair of the CAG Awards Committee, along with the completed cover page (attached) signed by three CAG members. 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 CV and supporting materials (30 pages max.) should be sent as an e-mail attachment to the CAG office ([email protected]).

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026

The award winner is invited to receive the award at the CAG 2026 Annual Meeting (June 1-4, 2026, to be hosted by the University of Victoria) and to have their conference registration fees covered.

Evan Cleave

Chair, CAG Awards Nomination Committee

Toronto Metropolitan University