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Call for Abstracts - 7th Annual Telfer Graduate Research Programs Thesis Competition (2027)

Introduction

On Friday April 2, 2027, the Research Office at the Telfer School of Management, will be hosting the 6th Annual Telfer Graduate Research Programs Thesis Competition. The Thesis Competition is open to Telfer MSc (thesis) and PhD students and DTI students supervised by Telfer professors. Students at all stages of their research process and programs are encouraged to apply.

Note: To be eligible for the competition, students must be registered in their programs for the Winter 2027 term and cannot have defended their thesis prior to the competition date. 

Thesis Competition

The Thesis Competition has two options: oral presentations and posters. The competition will follow the standard academic conference format. Participants must submit an abstract to be reviewed by a selection committee consisting of 4-5 Telfer professors from different sections. The thesis competition judges, who are chosen by the Research Office, will select 10 applicants for the oral presentations, and 15 applicants for the poster presentations.

Oral Presentations:

Applicants selected for the oral presentations will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute questions and answers session. Presentations are limited to 10 slides (excluding references).

Posters:

Applicants selected for the posters will be asked to prepare a poster presentation about their research and answer questions.

If you wish to compete in the oral presentation, you have an additional option to be considered for the poster competition in case you are not selected for the oral presentation.

You can submit your abstract and participate in the competition (if selected) in English or in French.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded based on students’ presentations and responses to questions, as well as their ability to communicate the potential impact and importance of their research in their field of study. Both oral presentations and posters will be evaluated by the same judges.

Oral Presentation     

Prize (CAD)

1st

$3,000

2nd 

$2,000

3rd 

$1,000

Poster Presentation 

Prize (CAD)

1st

$300

2nd 

$200

3rd 

$100

Abstract Submission Process

Please note that this applies to both students applying for the Oral Presentations and Posters. The deadline to submit your abstract through the SMRG Portal is Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM.  (VPN must be enabled to access the portal)

The submission must include the following two sections:

  1. Abstract
  2. About Your Research

To participate, please follow these steps:

  1. Visit the SMRG Portal
  2. Choose the option you want (oral presentation or poster)
  3. Submit your abstract

“Abstract” Requirements:

The abstract can have a maximum of 300 words and must be structured as follows:

The abstract should be written in a language that is accessible to both an academic as well as a multi-disciplinary audience. Abbreviations, acronyms, and technical jargon should be avoided as much as possible.

“About Your Research” Requirements:

You must respond to the following questions to summarize your contributions/impact (or proposed contributions/impact) on your field of study. The “About Your Research” section should be written for a lay audience.

Each response must not exceed 50 words. It should be brief and address the following questions:

  1. What is already known about the topic? (Maximum 50 words)
  2. What does the research add (or propose to add) to existing knowledge? (Maximum 50 words)
  3. What insight(s) does the research provide (or propose to provide) for informing managerial decision-making? (Maximum 50 words)

Abstract Evaluation Rubric

The abstracts will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Abstract:

  • Specific objectives of the study are clearly stated, and the problem is well-defined.
  • Key elements of methods and/or theoretical framework are clearly described.
  • The results and/or theoretical contributions are clearly described.
  • The conclusion is well articulated and conveys the relevance of the research.

About Your Research:

  • Answers to the three questions are well-written, concise, clear, and use lay language.
  • The contributions and potential impact of the research are well described.

If you would like a sample of an abstract from last year’s thesis competition, please send your request to Recherche.Research@telfer.uOttawa.ca.

Good luck!

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