Awards and prizes

The Bridge Prize: A National Short Story Award

Chido Muchemwa from the University of Toronto is the 2022 Bridge Prize winner for her short story If It Wasn't for the Nights.

The Bridge Prize celebrates excellence in short story fiction writing at the post-secondary level in Canada.

Beginning in 2020, and in alternating years for the next decade, the Bridge Prize intends to inspire and motivate the next generation of Canadian literary artists as they transition to careers as professional writers. The Bridge Prize is presented by the School of Liberal Education at the University of Lethbridge.

The second Bridge Prize Award was a huge success bringing in 187 short story submissions representing 48 post-secondary institutions across Canada. Click here to read more about our 2022 winner, Chido Muchemwa.

The Muthada Boora Family Awards:

This prize is awarded based on grades, volunteer work, and an essay on the value of Liberal Education.

The Fall 2022 winners are Zane Letourneau, Oshana Christiansen, Kianna Turner and Cailin Douglas.

The Fall 2021 winners are Alexander Wiigs, Madison Dixon, Kristen Lea and Kyra Ergang.

The Fall 2020 winners are Chloe Devoy, Annie Stehr, Breanne Rosenau and Kianna Turner.

The Fall 2019 winners are Bronwyn Burghardt, Paige Shade and Kylie Fineday.

The Fall 2018 winners are Blaine Primeau, Madeline Szabo and Mikaela Tegart.

_{THE WALKER WOOD AWARD}

This award is for incoming U of L students, and is renewable for students who take certain Liberal Education courses during their studies.

• Recipient of Walker Wood award for 2019-2022 is Sophia Eckert (Environmental Science Major)

The School of Liberal Education Volunteer Award

This award recognizes academic excellences and volunteer activity, for students registered in the UVolunteer Program. A one thousand dollar award is given annually, with the recipient recognized at the Volunteer Lethbridge Leaders of Tomorrow Gala during National Volunteer Week in April.

• 2019 (Inaugural) Recipient Madeline Szabo (Neuroscience major)
• 2020 Recipient Erin Burns (Fine Arts major, Pre-B.Ed.)
• 2022 Recipient. Ashley Nichol (B.Sc./B.Ed, Biology)

The President's Grant for International Community Engagement

The President's Grant for International Community Engagement seeks to encourage greater interest in and understanding of less developed countries by supporting students who want to participate in an international development experience. The grant will provide up to $5,000 for students to spend an extended period of time (minimum 6 weeks) working in a paid or volunteer role in a developing country on a project or projects that encourage educating and sharing of knowledge. Eligible applicants must be continuing students (undergraduate or graduate) and must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. In addition, students must secure a faculty mentor prior to applying. Applicants must be able to demonstrate an existing network or evidence of partnership with an organization in the developing country, either through their own involvement or through their supervising faculty members. Up to five awards may be given each year. Click on the links below for application process information.

Since 2015, 16 awards have been given to enable student experiences in developing countries. Nine students have worked or volunteered in Uganda, two in Nepal, and one each in Burkina Faso, the Philippines, Guatemala, Punta Cana and Fiji. Read here about the experiences of Taylor B in a 2019 volunteer experience with a local Fiji Women's Rights Movement program! We are excited to have four applicants in January 2020, and encourage students to apply for this wonderful funding opportunity!

President's Grant (application details/deadlines) -

The Friends of Liberal Education Prize

The School of Liberal Education offers an annual Friends of Liberal Education Prize of $500 to an outstanding student who has completed Liberal Education 1000 and Liberal Education 2000. Students are nominated in April by the instructors of these two courses for the previous academic year.

Recipients:
2022: Kaitlyn Fogarty
2021: Jamie Hazell
2020: Jaxon Reiter
2019 Amber Weinender
2018 Abigail Curle
2017 Cassandra Ostashek
2016 Katherine Hatton.

2017 Liberal Education Essay Prize

Congratulations to Dalys Fletcher and Kieran Brennan, winners of the Liberal Education Essay Prize in Spring 2017. Dalys Fletcher was awarded the first prize of $1500 for her essay The Good Life. Kieran Brennan was awarded the second prize of $500 for his essay Creativity: The Fifth Pillar of Liberal Education.