My Northern Project 2025 | Call for participants

*** Please note: The Provincial Final (May 2025) will be held in French (students must present their project in French). Students selected for the International Final (October 2025) will be required to present their project in English. ***

Institut nordique du Québec invites master's and doctoral students conducting research on northern or Arctic themes, to participate in the My Northern Project science popularization competition.

An exercise in scientific popularization and synthesis, My Northern Project /Mon Projet Nordique is a contest where students have 5 minutes to present, their northern research project. The aim of the exercise: to popularise, inform and captivate!

The prize

One of the 4 or 5 places available for the international final of the competition* taking place in Iceland as part of the Arctic Circle Assembly, one of the most important international meetings for dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic. 

*Please note that Institut nordique du Québec, in collaboration with its partners, will cover travel and accommodation costs for students attending the international final.

Timetable 

• Launch of the call for applications by INQ -  January 13, 2025
• Deadline for applications - March 30, 2025 before midnight
• Evaluation of applications received by the evaluation committee - in April 2025
• Announcement of the ten winning entries - week of April 14, 2025
• Provincial final of the competition in Montréal - May 12, 2025
• International Final at the Arctic Circle Assembly (Iceland) - October 16 to 18, 2025

TO PARTICIPATE

1. Eligibility

To be eligible for the My Northern Project competition, you must:

• Be enrolled in a master's* or doctoral program at one of INQ's member institutions
• Work on a research project with a northern theme (>49th parallel)

*Note that to participate in the competition, master's students must have completed the analysis of their field data.
 

2. Presentation guidelines

• Presentation must be 5 minutes in length
• Presentation must be accompanied by visual aids (eg. PowerPoint ) comprised of a maximum of 10 slides without animations
• Presentation and visual aids must be in French for the Québec competition
• You may use a prop during your presentation. However, the prop should not be the centerpiece of your presentation. It should be used in a way that supports what you are saying.

3. Application file

The application file must include the following elements:

• Student's complete name
• Email address
• Affiliated university
• Program of study (please indicate if you are a master's or doctoral student)
• A letter of introduction and motivation (one page maximum)
• Letter of recommendation from your research supervisor (see the model)
• Title of research project
• Project summary (300 words)

4. Submitting your application

• Deadline to submit your application: March 30, 2025; 11:59 pm
• Send your application to the following address: admin@inq.ulaval.ca
• For any questions, please contact Andréanne Bernatchez, INQ Communications Officer (andreanne.bernatchez@inq.ulaval.ca)

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International final and participation at the Arctic Circle Assembly

The competition

Since 2017, the international final of the My Northern Project science popularisation contest has been held within the framework of the Arctic Circle Assembly, one of the most important international meetings for dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic. During the final of the competition, Quebec students must take the stage and captivate a diverse audience by presenting their northern research project in English. To do so, the finalists have an maximum of five minutes and 10 slides without animation to support their presentation. Five students, selected from other Arctic countries will join the competition. Members of the on-site audience will be asked to vote for their favourite presentation and thus determine the international laureate of My Northern Project.

The Québec delegation at Arctic Circle Assembly

In order to consolidate the province's international network of northern and Arctic partners and maintain Quebec's position as a key player in the field, Quebec sends a delegation to the Arctic Circle Assembly every year. The Quebec finalists selected for the international final of the My Northern Project competition are integrated into this delegation and take part in its activities. For these students, it is an exceptional opportunity to understand the role of such a delegation while discovering the behind-the-scenes activities at a major international gathering from which a multitude of scientific collaborations arise.