Mikisiw Awashish, a member of the McGill Redbird hockey team who brought McGill and UQTR athletes to his home community of Mashteuiatsh, is the first undergraduate to win the Changemaker Prize.
The award, given at the discretion of the President’s Prize for Public Engagement Through Media selection committee, recognizes McGill community members whose work has had a significant and tangible impact on society. Awashish is a senior forward for the Redbirds who is completing his degree in civil engineering.
Awashish secured the funding, co-ordinated youth hockey clinics, and organized a ceremonial walk with residential school survivors and community gatherings that fostered meaningful connection. The two‑day cultural and educational experience was held to mark Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30. The initiative drew significant media attention in both French and English, amplifying awareness of Innu culture and the role of sport in reconciliation.
While the Changemaker Prize is not one that can be applied for, the numerous applications for the four other prizes testified to the creativity, dedication and passion for knowledge-sharing among McGill students and faculty.
“The sharing of knowledge and a love of learning are core McGill values,” said President Deep Saini.
Other winners of the 2026 President’s Prize for Public Engagement Through Media, now in its 10th year, are:
Professor Pascal Thériault, Prize for Established Researchers and Professors, for what the jury called his exceptional ability to clarify key issues facing our food systems, from price inflation and labour shortages to climate related challenges, offering evidence-based commentaries and a bilingual media presence. Runners-up: Professors Khalid Medani and Christine Maheu.
Juan Camilo Serpa, an associate professor and William Dawson Scholar, won the Prize for Emerging Researchers and Professors for his work to conserve climate and sustainability data and the remarkable public visibility he achieved through coverage in major outlets. The jury emphasized that this extensive coverage helps reinforce McGill’s standing as a trusted source of climate and sustainability expertise and that his presence on social media has helped to build a global network of sustainability scholars and practitioners and foster a dialogue that bridges academic research and policy. Runners-up: Professors Amy Janzwood and Preetika Joshi.
Amanda Cook, a Banting postdoctoral fellow and member of the CHIME/FRB Collaboration, won the Prize for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows for her leadership in co-ordinating a complex, multi-institutional publicity campaign for a major CHIME Fast Radio Burst discovery, while simultaneously writing the discovery paper. Runners-up: Benedicta Larko Ossom and Daniel Romm.
Catalyst, a bilingual online platform run by students studying international development, politics and economics, won the Prize for Groups. Catalyst publishes undergraduate research, opinions and creative work related to international development and the Global South. The jury members were impressed by the range of subjects covered and by the fact that it averaged over 4,500 page views a month. Runners-up: IGEM and Oncology 101.
Each award is worth $5,000.
The winners were announced at the Bravo Gala on May 7.