Workshop Dec. 14 builds student research storytelling skills

The ninth annual SSHRC Storytellers Challenge asks post-secondary students to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how social sciences and humanities research is affecting the lives of Canadians and communities.

The challenge is open to all students, graduate and undergraduate, enrolled at a Canadian post-secondary institution. Their task is to create a three-minute video or audio clip, or 300-word text or infographic, of a SSHRC-funded research project — their own or a professor’s.

Workshop in research communications

Before submitting an entry, students are encouraged to sign up for a workshop, led by the university’s Knowledge Engagement team,  tailored to assisting students with research communication and storytelling. The workshop will feature three speakers: a finalist from last year’s competition, an award-winning storyteller and podcaster who will teach video tips and tricks, and a UCalgary librarian who will speak about what resources are available on campus to help create your entry.

"I would highly recommend attending. I learned foundational research communication skills that would be helpful for any researcher looking to disseminate their work to a wide audience. The workshop helped me prepare my submission to the SSHRC Storytellers competition," says Sydney Seidel, a top five finalist in the 2020 competition, who attended the workshop in 2019.

$3,000 prize

A jury will select the top 25 finalists, who will each receive a $3,000 cash prize and specialized training in research communications with their fellow finalists from across the country. A second jury will select the final five winners to receive an additional $1,000 and be recognized at the 2022 virtual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

As an incentive, an additional $1,000 will be awarded to the engagement prize winner: the finalist who most creatively and consistently promotes their submission, the submissions of other finalists, and the contest generally.

Students are encouraged to review the gallery of past award winners for inspiration, and to register for the Dec. 14 workshop. Deadline for entries is Jan. 24, 2022. A full list of rules and regulations can be found on the SSHRC web page.