The Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize is awarded to current undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Toronto during each academic year.

The purpose of the prize is to recognize students who use information and library resources in thoughtful, creative, and effective ways. It celebrates students who show a strong understanding of what it means to be information literate in the 21st century, offering them an opportunity to:

Reflect on how they searched for and used information in their research
Share their work beyond the classroom
Highlight academic excellence at the undergraduate level at the University of Toronto

Prizes

Each year, up to six prizes of $1,000 each are available.

Winners are chosen by the awards committee, and not all six prizes may be awarded each year. For group projects, the prize is split equally among all members.

Submit your application

Before you begin your application, we strongly encourage you to review all of the details on this page to ensure you understand the eligibility criteria, required documents, and selection process. This will help you prepare a strong and complete submission.

Application Deadline: The deadline for the 2025-2026 prize was Sunday, February 22nd, 2026, 11:59 pm. The application period has now closed.
Winners will be notified in by mid-march and wider announcements will follow in early April 2026.

How to apply: Eligibility and essay writing

Follow these steps to make sure your application is complete, eligible, and submitted on time. This step-by-step process also answers common questions about the application process.

Step 1: Confirm your eligibility

You can apply if:
You are a first-entry undergraduate student (enrolled in a program that does not require a previous degree). This includes:

Arts & Science
Applied Science & Engineering
Architecture
Kinesiology & Physical Education
Music
Transitional Year Program
University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)
University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)*
- UTSC students: You can apply to either this prize or the UTSC Undergraduate Research Prize — not both.
You completed an assignment for a U of T course (listed in ACORN) during Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.
You may apply as a full-time or part-time student.
Group projects are welcome — the prize will be split equally among members.

You cannot apply if:

Your project was completed outside of a course (e.g., independent research).

Step 2: Understand the judging criteria

Winners are selected by a committee of librarians and professors based on:

Effective and innovative use of information sources (e.g., primary sources, data analysis, GIS tools, technical standards, library workshops, special collections).
The quality and depth of your reflective statement.
The overall quality of your research process.

There is no minimum or maximum project length. Judges focus more on your process than the final product.

You may also wish to review the evaluation rubric that is used by the prize judges.

Step 3: Connect with your instructor early

Let your instructor know you plan to apply and that you must have a letter of support from the instructor who taught the course. Applications without this letter will not be considered.
Share the Information for Instructors guidelines (listed in the information box below) so they know what to include.
Let them know that you will upload their letter as part of your application. Once you do, the system will automatically email your instructor to confirm that they wrote the letter. Applications without this confirmation will not be considered.
Confirm that they are able to provide their letter to you before the deadline of Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 11:59pm.

Step 4: Write your reflective essay

Your essay should be no more than 1,000 words.
This is the most important part of your application — it’s what judges focus on the most.
In your essay, explain:
Make it personal, thoughtful, and honest.

You may wish to review past winners' reflective essays. You may review all past winners reflections and assignments on TSpace, the University of Toronto's research repository. These can help you understand what a strong, successful submission looks like.

Prepare your application package

Your package must include:

Final assignment (with citations and references) — digital/online projects are also welcome.
Reflective statement (max 1,000 words).
Letter of support from your course instructor (additional letters from TAs may be included but not replace the instructor’s letter).
Complete the online application form.

You will upload your reflective statement, final assignment and the instructor letter of support. Do not combine the reflective statement and assignment into one file. We recommend using the following naming conventions and file types:

Firstname_Lastname_ReflectiveStatement.docx
Firstname_Lastname_Assignment.docx
Firstname_Lastname_LetterOfSupport.pdf

If your work is in a language other than English, the assignment may remain as is, but your abstract and reflective statement must be in English.

Complete the Online Application Form

Once you're ready, fill out the Microsoft Form (application period for 2025-2026 has closed) and upload your documents. Here's what you’ll need to provide:

Your full name
- Names of group members (if a group project)
  - Designated contact person (for group submissions)
Campus (UTSG, UTM, or UTSC)
- UTSC students: choose either this prize or the UTSC Undergraduate Research Prize — not both
College (if UTSG student)
Your major or program of study
Year of study (at the time of application)

Course Info

Course title
Course code
Instructor’s name (must be the main course instructor)
Instructor’s U of T email
Instructor’s phone number
Citation style used in the assignment

Project / Assignment Information

Project or Assignment title
A 250-word summary of your work
How you heard about the prize

Uploads

Your reflective statement (.doc /.docx)
Your final assignment (.doc/.docx)
Your letter of support from your instructor. (.pdf)

Final Check-In

Follow up with your instructor to make sure that they complete the verification email to confirm that they wrote your letter of support.

You’re done!
Once you’ve submitted your application and we receive your letter of support, you’ll receive a confirmation email letting you know that your application package is complete.

Prize winners will be notified by early April 2026 and invited to a special awards ceremony on Friday, April 17th from 2:00-4:00pm. At the event, winners will be encouraged to share a few words about their research. Instructors who supported winning students will also be invited to attend and offer brief remarks.

If your application isn’t selected this year, don’t be discouraged — all applicants will be notified, and you’re encouraged to apply again in future award cycles.

Submit your application

Before you begin, please read the How to apply section carefully. It includes important details about eligibility, what to include, and how the process works.

Submission Deadline and Application (Closed)

The deadline to submit your application for the Undergraduate Research Prize was Sunday, February 22nd 2026 at 11:59pm. To submit your application, you’ll need to complete a Microsoft Form and will be required to be logged into your UTORid.

Start your application

All information you provide will be used only to administer the prize. It won’t be shared outside the prize administration and judging committee.

If you're selected as a winner, you'll be notified through your University of Toronto email. Winners will also be celebrated on U of T Libraries’ social media and other communications channels.

Good luck — we’re excited to see your work!

Information for instructors

Important Update (2026): The submission process has changed. Instructor letters are now uploaded by students, and instructors will be asked to confirm authorship via email.

Students applying for the University of Toronto Libraries’ Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize must be sponsored by the instructor of the course for which the project was completed.

Students are responsible for uploading your letter of support as part of their application.

After the student submits their application, you will receive an automated email sent to your U of T–affiliated email address asking you to confirm that you authored the letter. This confirmation is required for the student’s application to be considered.

When preparing your letter of support, please address the following questions:

How did the student's use of information sources (print and/or online resources) and/or University of Toronto Libraries contribute to an exceptional assignment?
Did the student locate most of the key resources for this topic? Please explain.
How did the student use the sources within the assignment in an effective and innovative manner?

Provide your completed letter directly to your student so they can include it in their application by the deadline of Sunday, February 22nd 2026 at 11:59pm.

Each student must submit their own application with a separate instructor letter of support. If students are applying as a group for a shared assignment, only one letter of support is required for the entire group. A confirmed instructor letter of support is required for the student to be considered for the prize.

How submissions are evaluated

Judges will focus primarily on how well students demonstrate:

Effective and innovative use of information sources, including the depth and breadth, as well as the types and formats of sources consulted.
Evidence of significant personal learning and the development of a habit of research and inquiry that shows the likelihood of persisting in the future.

Prize Ceremony

A prize ceremony is scheduled for Friday, April 17, 2026, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. If your student is selected as a prize winner, both you and the student are expected to attend and offer brief remarks on the student’s research, except in cases of extenuating circumstances.

Acknowledgements & Past Winners

Investing in researchers for our future

Patricia and Peter Shannon Research Prize photo

From left to right: Former Vice-President and Provost, Cheryl Regehr, Peter Wilson, Patricia Wilson, Chief Librarian Larry Alford. (Photo credit: Paul Terefenko)

Behind every winning project is a journey of discovery that begins in the stacks, databases, and archives of U of T Libraries. We would like to acknowledge Mrs. Patricia Wilson and Mr. Peter Wilson for their generous endowment towards the undergraduate research prize, now known as The Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize. Their support for this annual prize promotes the kind of undergraduate scholarship that begins in a library and lasts for a lifetime.

The opportunity for undergraduates to conduct original research is just one more way that the libraries are supporting the University of Toronto’s efforts to re-imagine the undergraduate education experience. The Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize will continue to recognize students whose projects demonstrate curiosity, critical thinking, and a mastery of research skills, and those who have learned to apply these skills beyond the classroom.

Past Winners

Each year, the Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize celebrates outstanding student research and creative use of information sources. The winning projects showcase the wide range of topics, disciplines, and approaches taken by University of Toronto students.

You can read past winners’ projects and their reflective statements in our Undergraduate Research Prize collection on TSpace, University of Toronto's research repository.

2026

Alex Drotenko | Faculty of Arts & Science, Victoria College
The Role of LLMs in Human Language Evolution: A Cognitive-Linguistic Analysis
Supporting instructor: Mark Miller

Sabrina Isabelle McLennon | Faculty of Arts & Science, New College
From Rapanui Ancestral Medicine to Rapamycin: Biopiracy, the 1964 Canadian-led Medical Expedition to Easter Island & the Socio-Legal Legacies of Chilean Annexation of Te Pito o te Kaiŋa
Supporting instructor: Alex Pelegrino

Delia Pan | John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
Between Renewal and Memory: A Resident-Centered Framework for Taiwan’s Aging Housing
Supporting instructor: Simon Rabyniuk

Lorraine Pan | Faculty of Arts & Science, Victoria College
South Korean Feminist Reactions and Resistance to the “Nth Room Case” in
Digital Spaces in 2020
Supporting instructor: Wafaa Hasan

Devika Singh | John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
A Choreography of Things: The Making of Indo-Caribbean Identity
Supporting instructor: Simon Rabyniuk

Parmin Sedigh Tonekaboni | Faculty of Arts & Science, Trinity College
Cancer Prevention through Nutrition: Bridging the Knowledge Translation Gap
Supporting instructor: Kenneth Yip

2025

To learn more about the students who won the 2025 Wilson Awards and their projects, visit the article Students Dazzle at the 2025 Wilson Awards.

Sasha Adamova, William Kilbride, Constantine Vrachas Matthaios, Kimberley Ng, Bavan Pushpalingam, Vivian Zhi

2024

Jacqueline Cho, Hannah Permaul Flores, Anoushka Indira Kapoor, Bhavnoor Kaur Pannu, Mehakpreet Kaur Saggu, Di (Steven) Zhai

2023

Andrew Huynh, Adrian Jaime, Sophia Stellato, Alex Liu, Fatema Mullan, Jai Singh

2022

Eric Yang, Rion Levy, Sapolnach Prompiengchai, Conorr Norquay, Nicollo Abe, Tessa Di Vizio

2021

Sapolnach Prompiengchai, Will Gotlib, Arielle Earn, Allan Dok Lun Cheung, Shrieda Jain, Chiara Campagnaro,

2020

Kiera Farrell-Beaulieu, Tegan Ridge, Colin Stewart, Emma Sullivan, Sally Walker-Hudecki, Braden Zufelt

2019

Chloe Bray, Danielle Lee, Ron Ma, Sterling Mancuso, Karina Stellato, Kenzie Zimmer

2018

Evelyn Hayes, Andrea Ho, Katya Smirnova, Jaya Thirugnanasampanthan, An Li Tsang, Kelsey Wiseman

2017

Angela Hou, Taylor Irvine, Monica Layarda, Imindu Liyanage, Alexandra Southgate, Cheuk Him Ryan Sun

2016

Claudia Dessanti, Daphne Wang, Emma Sanchez-Swaren, Sami Semmar, Sami Ul Haq, Vivian Ying Szeto

Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize

Associated libraries

Contact