Submit a
Nomination

Yes. All nominations and the adjudication process undertaken by the awards committees are completely confidential and those involved are not permitted to share any of the discussions held or decisions made.

Nominations are considered for five years following their initial submission. No action is required by the nominator for the file to be included during these five years, but the Foundation strongly encourages nominators to review and update their existing nominations each year prior to the October 1^st deadline. 

No, the Gairdner Foundation does not give out posthumous awards.

Self-nominations are not accepted for the International Awards or the Global Health Awards.

Self-nominations are accepted for the Momentum Prize.

Nominations for all Gairdner Awards are open to any individual or organization who wants to submit an exceptional scientific researcher.

There are no limits to the number of nominations an individual, organization or institution can submit.

The awards are decided upon by committees of scientific peers relevant to the award’s area of focus.

The International Award is selected by two committees, the Medical Review Panel and the Medical Advisory Board.

 The first committee is the Medical Review Panel, whose members are primarily Canadian researchers representing the breadth and diversity of the Canadian research community.  The Medical Review Panel evaluates the pool of eligible nominations for the International Award and elevates a list of leading candidates to the Medical Advisory Board for further review.

The Medical Advisory Board is comprised of leading international researchers in biomedical science, including major institutional leaders and past Gairdner Laureates. The Committee strives to represent a wide range of experience, expertise and knowledge from the international scientific community. Medical Advisory Board members undertake a thorough review and discussion process for each elevated nomination, with the final decision being made by blind ballot vote.

The Global Health Award is selected by the Global Health Adjudication Committee, made up of leading researchers in those areas that are relevant geographically, socially and scientifically to the practice of Global Health, including past laureates of the Award.  Global Health Adjudication Committee members undertake a thorough review and discussion process for eligible nominations, with the final decision being made by blind ballot vote.

The Momentum Awards are selected by the Momentum Award Adjudication Committee which brings together Canadian and international senior scientific research administrators and international mid-career research peers to evaluate the submissions for the Momentum Award. Committee members undertake a thorough review and discussion process for eligible nominations, with the final decision being made by blind ballot vote. 

Each of the five annual International Awards is given to an individual recipient, who receives the full prize amount ($250,000 CAD) for their personal use.

The annual Global Health Award can be given to one or more recipients, with each receiving an equal percentage of the full prize amount ($100,000 CAD) for their personal use.

Each of the two annual Momentum Awards is given to an individual recipient, who receives the full prize amount ($100,000 CAD) for their personal use.

The International Award recognizes researchers whose distinct and unique scientific body of work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of human biology and disease.

The Global Health Award recognizes researchers whose distinct body of work has used scientifically-based research to improve the wellbeing of those facing health inequalities worldwide.

The Momentum Award recognizes Canadian mid-career investigators (typically 10-15 years past their first independent research appointment) who in their last 6 active years have produced an exceptional body of scientific research with continued potential for advancing our understanding of human biology and disease.

All Gairdner Awards recognize a distinct body of research that has fundamentally changed the understanding, practice or trajectory of a field with relevance to human biology and disease.

The awards are not intended to recognize cumulative lifetime contributions, ongoing leadership roles or administrative work.