Nomination Requirements
Candidates
- Have made a contribution representative of a conscientious and sustained effort and/or a contribution to promoting a diverse and inclusive mathematics community in Canada, whether within a single department, regionally or nationally across a research specialty, or otherwise.
- May be an individual or a group.
- Must be a member of the Canadian mathematical community
- The CMS aims to promote and celebrate diversity in the broadest sense. We strongly encourage nominations for outstanding colleagues regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Nominators
- Are a present or past colleague or collaborator with direct knowledge of the nominee's contribution.
- Provide a letter of nomination addressing the following points:
- Description of the event or initiative. For an ongoing series of events or a continuing project, describe only activities from the past three years (maximum 2 pages),
- Description of the impact the contribution has had towards making the mathematics community more equitable, diverse, or inclusive (maximum 2 pages), and
- Description of some key challenges that had to be overcome in carrying out the contribution (maximum 1 page).
- Provide at least two names of other supporters who have agreed to provide a recommendation letter before the deadline. For example, feedback from participants on the impact the event or initiative had on them, or perspective from faculty or staff on how it contributed to the targeted community.
- May also provide other supporting materials, as a single PDF. Examples: websites, event publicity, photos, videos, testimonials, or impact data such as enrollment numbers. Maximum 10 pages.
Next cycle: 2027 Prize.
Selection Committee
The recipient(s) is/are chosen by representatives from the Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee and the Women in Mathematics Committee, based on the strength, merit and demonstrated impact of the nominated activities.
Please note that, throughout the selection process, selection committees must abide by the Conflict of Interest Instructions for Awards & Prizes Selection Committees.
Selection Criteria
The award will go to an individual or group of individuals who have furthered equity, diversity, and inclusion and/or developed a more welcoming and safer environment and/or worked to dismantle racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression and discrimination within the mathematical community in Canada.
More than one award may be given in different categories (e.g. student, faculty, group), if the committee judges it appropriate.
The following factors will be considered:
- Impact. Both depth and breadth – did the initiative affect a lot of people positively or did it have a big impact on a few people? Has the impact been or does it have potential to be sustained over time?
- Creativity and innovation. Is it different from the standard things that every EDI committee tries?
- Quality and professionalism. Relative to support available.
We note that an initiative may qualify for the award without distinction in all of these categories; excellence in one or two could suffice.
An award may be conferred again in any category (e.g., student/postdoc, faculty/staff, or group) provided that at least five years have passed since the previous recognition.
Non-exhaustive list of example contributions
We emphasize that this list is incomplete! We hope to be surprised to learn about events and initiatives we have never even considered.
- Organizing an event to welcome and support graduate students from diverse backgrounds.
- Developing a mentoring program to provide ongoing support to postdocs from under-represented groups.
- Producing a website or video to highlight challenges faced by or achievements realized by mathematicians from a minoritized community.
- Advocating at the university level to overturn policies that are detrimental to equity and inclusion.
- Embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into teaching or research activities.
- Coordinating a workshop or event to bring together people from under-represented groups from across a region or the country to build community.
Eligibility and Nomination Retention
Nominees do not need to identify as women or minorities themselves; the key is the impact of their work, not their own identity.
The CMS is aware that this work is often under-recognized and may not fit within established frameworks, so non-traditional applications are welcome. Self-nominations are accepted.
Only nominations that meet the stated requirements by the deadline stated will be considered for selection.
A nomination that is not selected in the current award cycle will be retained for consideration in the following competition cycle (unless explicitly withdrawn).