Governor General’s Gold Medals

Award Overview

Purpose

The Office of the Governor General annually awards Gold Academic Medals to students who achieve the highest academic standing at the graduate level. The assessment of highest academic standing includes an examination of the following:

  • Academic performance in degree courses (first class average);
  • Evaluation of the thesis and the thesis defense; and
  • Originality and significance of the research.

Three (3) gold medals are available at the University of Toronto.

One medal will be awarded to a candidate from Division I or II; one medal will be awarded to a candidate from Division III or IV; the third medal will be awarded to an outstanding candidate from any division.  The recipients will receive a Gold Academic Medal and personalized certificate signed by the Governor General of Canada

REVISED: All nominees for the GG Gold Medals will automatically be assessed for eligibility by the Graduate Awards Office, with recipients/nominees also being selected by the SGS Awards Committee for the following awards:

  • Updated: Chorafas Prize – two awards of $10,000 to graduating doctoral students, age 32 or under, whose research benefits humanity in the following areas: Life Sciences & Medicine, Physics, Chemistry (incl. nanotechnology), Mathematics, Informatics/Computer Science, and Engineering of Finance & Risk Management.
  • CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards – two nominees to Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) for two $2,000 prizes for doctoral dissertations that represent original work and make an unusually significant contribution to the fields of Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering, and Social Sciences. Fields of study awarded rotate every other year.
  • NAGS Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Awards – two nominees to Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) for $1,000 prize for outstanding master’s thesis (Agricultural, Biological & Health Sciences field for Jan. 2025 submission) or doctoral dissertations (Arts & Humanities field for Jan. 2025 submission). Fields of study awarded rotate every five years.
  • CANCELLED: Donna Hayden Memorial Fellowship – the award has been discontinued.

Eligibility

Candidates must:

  • Have achieved the highest academic standing at the graduate level
  • Have graduated or will graduate at one of the following convocations:
    • November 2023
    • March 2024 (in absentia)
    • June 2024

Note: Students must submit their final thesis by April 12, 2024 to be eligible to graduate at the June Convocation.

Nomination Process

Students interested in being nominated should contact their home graduate unit to inquire about the unit’s nomination process and their established deadline.

Each graduate unit is invited to nominate their top student or recent graduate, either at the master’s (course based or research stream) or doctoral level, for the GG Gold Medals (i.e., 1 nomination per graduate unit). All nominees will automatically be assessed for eligibility for the other awards listed above.

  • NEW: To encourage eligible nominees for the Chorafas Prize, if the unit’s top GG Gold Medal nominee is older than 32 years old (by May 2024), graduate units in Life Sciences & Medicine, Physics, Chemistry (incl. nanotechnology), Mathematics, Informatics/Computer Science, and Engineering of Finance & Risk Management may submit one (1) additional nominee to be considered for the Chorafas Prize only.
  • To encourage eligible nominees for the NAGS Master’s Thesis Award, if the unit’s top GG Gold Medal nominee is a doctoral student, graduate units in Agricultural, Biological & Health Sciences may submit one (1) additional nominee with a master’s thesis for the NAGS Master’s Thesis Award only.
  • If a graduate unit wishes to nominate a dissertation for the CGS/ProQuest or NAGS Doctoral Dissertation Awards that was submitted to SGS prior to April 21, 2023, but is still within the window of eligibility for either of the awards, please contact the Graduate Awards Office directly to inquire.

The complete nomination package will consist of one PDF file containing the following documents:

  1. A nomination letter (on letterhead, signed and dated), preferably from the Department Chair or Graduate Coordinator, describing the reasons for the nomination and why the candidate should be recognized for their outstanding scholastic achievements. Using strong and positive language, this letter should focus on:
  • The nominee’s outstanding level of achievement compared to other students in the same program, including information relevant to the field of study, degree or culture of the department (e.g., publishing norms, degree requirements, grading practices at specific international universities, unusual accomplishments) that would otherwise not be known outside the field of study; and
  • Factors used to determine why the student is deserving of this award, clearly articulating the excellence of the work and how it makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline.
  1. Current graduate transcript(s) (ACORN/ROSI printouts are acceptable);
  2. Up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (no page limit), including professional background, publications, presentations, internships, and awards;

For research thesis/dissertation nominations (not required for course-based master’s):

  1. Two original letters of recommendation (signed and on letterhead) evaluating the quality of the research and describing how the dissertation represents original work which makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. It is recommended that these letters also communicate the nominee’s outstanding level of achievement in research compared to other students in the same program or with whom the referee has encountered in the past. The letters are to be written by:
    a) The nominee’s thesis/dissertation advisor/supervisor;
    b) A member of the nominee’s thesis/dissertation committee;
  1. A 300 word lay-abstract written by the candidate in non-technical language. Appendices containing non-textual material, such as charts or tables, are not required (committee members will not be reviewing the appended items);
  2. A statement written by the candidate clearly addressing how the research represents original work that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline and where applicable benefits humanity (max. 1 page, single-spaced);
  3. For doctoral nominations only: A copy of the external examiner’s pre-defence report signed and dated by the examiner (or authenticated upon submission to SGS).

Contacts & Resources

If you have questions about this competition, please contact:

Graduate Awards Office
School of Graduate Studies
graduate.awards@utoronto.ca
(416) 978-2386

Recipients

2023-2024 Receipients

2022-2023 Recipients

2021-2022 Recipients

2020-2021 Recipients