The Research Award of Excellence recognizes high quality, innovative, and current research that has had a significant impact on the aquaculture industry in Canada. Any individual or group engaged in aquaculture-related research in Canada will be eligible to receive the Research Award of Excellence.
This year we are requesting that nominations for the Research Award of Excellence be emailed to aquacultureawards@gmail.com by June 8, 2026. There is no set format for nominations. Letters should indicate why this person/group should receive the award and highlight how their research has contributed to the Canadian aquaculture sector. Letters of support are welcome from all!
The Research Award of Excellence will be awarded again at the Cold-Harvest & Aquaculture Canada 2026 conference in St. John’s, NL, Sept 15-17. You can check out other previous winners here.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who best exemplifies the aims and objectives of the Association. Individuals are recognized for their outstanding contribution to the Association and to the aquaculture sector in Canada. Any former or current individual AAC member engaged in aquaculture-related activities in Canada will be eligible to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded again at the Aquaculture Canada 2027 conference. Congratulations to our last recipient, Dr. Tillmann Benfey! You can check out the previous winners here.
Student Awards
Presentation Awards
Travel Awards
Scholarships
Presentation Awards
Presentation Awards are given to the best student poster and/or oral presentation at the annual meeting. Please indicate whether you would like your presentation to be judged during abstract submission. The amount of these awards will be determined annually by the Board of Directors, based on a recommendation from the Outreach and Recognition Committee. Presentations and/or papers will not be judged nor awards awarded unless there are at least three (3) student presentations or papers, by different senior authors, in a category (oral or poster).
To be eligible for an award, students must:
be registered at a recognized institution of higher learning,
must present the paper themselves, and
must be the first author.
Travel Awards
The AAC utilizes funds raised for the Student Endowment Fund to provide travel awards to students presenting papers at the annual meeting to help defray travel expenses of attending the meeting. Applications are reviewed and the determination of the awards and amounts is by consensus of the Recognition and Outreach Committee.
To be eligible for the travel award, students must meet the following criteria:
be registered at a recognized institution of higher learning
present a paper (oral or poster) at the annual meeting
The AAC Student Endowment Fund funds up to three (3) student scholarships per year, valued at $1,000 CAD. These scholarships are open to student members of AAC who are enrolled in an aquaculture-related program at a Canadian post-secondary institution for the current academic year.
Students who have previously won an AAC scholarship are not eligible – this does not include Presentation or Travel Awards.
Each recipient of an AAC Student Scholarship is responsible for how Scholarship funds are applied to their educational program.
Candidates will be assessed on a variety of criteria, including academic ability, current involvement in aquaculture and supporting documents. Please send an electronic copy (PDF preferred) of the following materials – Include your last name in each filename (e.g. Smith_AAC_transcript.pdf ):
Transcript of marks
Proof of enrollment
Interest and involvement in aquaculture (e.g., summer employment)
Publication record – if available
A letter of support from instructor or supervisor, and
A short (250 words) essay describing how the applicant plans to contribute to sustainable aquaculture development in Canada in the future.
Please also provide a headshot in a separate .jpg file with the submission.
