ELIGIBILITY

Status in Canada :

Contest winners receive a prize that is considered remuneration under the Income Tax Act. 

Hence, participants must meet one of the following conditions:

• hold a non-restrictive work permit;
• be a permanent resident;
• be a Canadian citizen.

Education :

The competition is open to full-time bachelor's students (with 30 credits or more) and full-time master's students in economics or other related fields (finance, taxation, political science). Proof of university enrollment will be required at registration.

Only texts from students who have registered and who meet the eligibility criteria will be sent to the evaluation committee.

 

RULES

Composition of the essay

The Challenge consists in writing an essay with the following guidelines:

• Participants must register ;
• The competition is individual ;
• Participants must produce a 1,500 to 2,000-words essay in either English or French ;
• The essay must contain at least one table or graph to support their argument ;
• The essay must include a bibliography ;
• The table(s), graph(s), and bibliography should not be calculated in the number of words to be included in the essay ;
• The essay must be sent to the address below in Word and PDF format.

Registration and submission of your essay

The following proof will be required:

• Proof of college enrollment

The following information must be included:

• Name
• University
• Program
• Number of credits completed

Registration and submission of the essay are mandatory and have to be done at the same time, in one single step in the registration tab.

Please, submit your essay in Word AND Pdf format and  name your file as follows: 2023DEFI_LASTNAME_Firstname

Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements or are not submitted within the competition deadline will be considered ineligible.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at the following address: deficirano@cirano.qc.ca. 

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The evaluation of the essay will be made based on the following criteria:

• Must observe the rules
• Clarity of discussion
• Originality of the economic analysis
• Quality of the economic analysis
• Use and presentation of economic data
• Relevance and use of references
• Presentation and quality of language

 

The question of the year 

Several sectors of activity are being challenged by the economic changes that are taking place. Innovation offers a unique opportunity to increase the productivity of the Quebec economy.

How can innovation contribute to meeting Quebec's major societal challenges?

Here are some of the factors that could potentially be impacted:

• business performance and productivity
• supply chains stability
• quality of life and well-being
• social benevolence and equality;
• energy transition;
• labor shortages.

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