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Science POP 2025-2026 Competition

Thowards a Third Major Edition

Call for participating institutions : Apply now! (only available in French)

A Quebec-Wide Scientific Communication Initiative 

Science POP was designed by the IRCM, funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) and the NovaScience program of the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie, with the support of the IRCM Foundation. With the mission of promoting dialogue between science and society, Science POP's goal is to help awaken scientific curiosity within Quebec's society and to stimulate skills in knowledge transfer.

Science POP Challenges

The Science POP contest offers three distinct challenges. 

 

Explain a central element of your research project

College, university, internships, graduate studies… maybe even one or two postdoctoral fellowships. Acquiring profound scientific knowledge, developing cutting-edge expertise and mastering the precise jargon used to discuss discoveries with your peers takes years of effort and practice. How fair would it be to expect anyone who hasn’t gone through the same training, whether it be a parent, a friend or a potential sponsor, to fully understand when you explain your research project? Would you be able to use clear, simple, and suitable language?

To take on this challenge, you must first break your research project down into core notions. Then, pick one of those notions and use your educational skills and creativity to translate it into information accessible to a lay audience!

 

Guidelines

 Speech: Educational

 Type of participation: Solo

 Length: Five (5) minutes

 Visual aid: Unlimited number of slides (primary aid) + one (1) prop on stage (optional)

 

What do we mean by « notion »?

It could be, for instance: 

  • a biological component or process (apoptosis, neurotransmission, DNA polymerase, endocytosis, pharmacodependence, etc.),
  • a scientific approach (randomized double-blind clinical studies, limit of detection, statistical analysis, etc.),
  • a laboratory technique (electroencephalogram, electronic microscopy, RT-PCR, functional magnetic resonance imagery, CRISPR-Cas, systematic observation, sample collection, etc.),
  • an experimental model (tissue grafts, organoids, immortalized cell lines, genetic knock-out in mice, etc.),
  • a disease (type 1 or 2 diabetes, inflammatory bower disease, AIDS, etc.),
  • a pathology or clinical manifestation (anaphylactic shock, cirrhosis, inflammation, etc.),
  • a therapy or medication (triple combination therapy, RNA vaccines, etc.) or an evaluation or measurement method (diagnostic criteria, cognitive tests, psychometric tests, etc.).

There is an infinite number of possibilities! Take the time to break your project down into core notions and identify one that you believe might be less known or misunderstood by the public.

 

Reference documents

Summary sheet - Outreach Challenge 

Advice sheet - Outreach Challenge 

Summary Sheet - Presentation rules 

Advice sheet - Delivering a great presentation 

Guidelines and examples of titles and brief descriptions 

Slide templates for presentations 

Science POP logo and graphic guidelines 

 

Catch the attention of journalists on your research project

To help research work stand out in the public arena, communications departments of research or academic institutions often resort to writing and distributing press releases, which are then sent to different media and eventually form the basis of an article or news report. But the media are overwhelmed with requests: the assignment editor or desk officer will only read it diagonally. You must therefore go straight to the point and catch his attention efficiently. News releases follow a very precise structure and include must-have elements such as a lead, quotes and references.

To take on this challenge, you will thus need to put your communication skills to good use by first writing a proper news release*, that highlights the importance of your research work. Respecting the format and guidelines is a major part of the challenge. 

Then, on the day of the competition, you'll have the equivalent of an elevator ride to catch your audience's attention with a pitch-style presentation, which should start with a catchphrase, pick up on the key points of the news release and end on a powerful conclusion.

 

Guidelines

 Text : News release (step 1)

 Speech : Pitch-style presentation (step 2)

 Type of participation : Solo

 Length : Two (2) minutes

 Visual aid : One (1) static slide** or one (1) prop on stage

*Guidelines are provided in a separate summary sheet
**Devoid of any video, animation, or sound

 

Which aspects of a project should a news release highlight?

It could be, for instance:

  • the societal needs or healthcare issues it addresses;
  • the knowledge it brings;
  • its innovative features;
  • its capacity to promote the development of partnerships or intersectorial collaboration;
  • its expected outcomes or short- and/or long-term benefits.

 

Reference documents

Summary sheet - Media Challenge 

Advice Sheet - Media Challenge 

Summary sheet - Press release

Press release example - Dos and Don'ts (FR)   

Summary sheet - Presentation rules 

Advice sheet - Delivering a great presentation 

Guidelines and examples of titles and brief descriptions 

Slide templates for presentations 

Science POP logo and graphic guidelines 

 

Declare your personal commitment to sustainable health

The depiction of a mad scientist, muttering hypotheses to himself and working as a recluse in his lab, is an outdated stereotype. To make sure science helps society move forward, scientists are now more engaged than ever on the field, working side by side with the government, industry or the general public.

To take on this challenge, you'll first have to undertake some introspection about your role, as a scientist and member of the Quebec society, in promoting sustainable health. Then, you will need to showcase your vision by presenting a personal initiative you propose to develop in the near future, or that you implemented less than 5 years ago (at the time of your participation in an in-house competition).

 

Guidelines

 Speech: Inspirational, TEDx-style conference

 Type of participation : Solo or teams of two (2)

 Length: Seven (7) minutes

 Visual aid: Unlimited number of minimalistic* slides (primary aid) + one (1) prop on stage (optional)

*With simple content (an image, one or two words, etc.)

 

What do we mean by « initiative »?

It could be, for instance:

  • creating or broadcasting educational material (blog, YouTube channel, website, journal or magazine article, TV or radio show, podcast, social media content, etc.),
  • developing a community support program (companions for patients, sports or artistic outlet to promote mental health, etc.),
  • organizing or managing an event (awareness campaign, fundraiser, conference, school activity, etc.)
  • or collaborating with political leaders, healthcare professionals or stakeholders (working group to improve public health practices, regulations or norms, participatory research, precision medicine, etc.).

This initiative doesn't have to be linked to your research work! Follow your sense of entrepreneurship or leadership! The only rule: you must be one of the main instigators of the initiative. To evaluate its potential impact on sustainable health, ask yourself the following questions: Will it help establish healthy lifestyle habits in the population, bring science and society closer together towards a common goal, or mobilize political decision-makers and stakeholders involved in sustainable health? How does it tie in with the targets of the United Nations' 3rd Sustainable Development Goal?

 


Reference documents

Summary sheet - Sustainable Health Challenge 

Advice sheet - Sustainable Health Challenge (FR) 

Summary sheet - Presentation rules 

Advice sheet - Delivering a great presentation 

Guidelines and examples of titles and brief descriptions 

Slide templates for presentations 

Science POP logo and graphic guidelines 

Step 1 : In-house competitions

Following the official launch in January 2025, the Science POP in-house competitions (also called local competitions) will take place from September 1, 2025, to February 20, 2026, in participating institutions, across the province of Quebec, that are devoted to research in Health Sciences and to training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Step 2 : The Grand Finale

The Science POP provincial Grand Finale will take place on April 17 and 18, 2026 at the IRCM, in Montréal.

Finalists will present in person, in front of a diverse audience and jury. All presentations will also be broadcast live online to allow all citizen to attend, regardless of their location. The winners of the Science POP contest will be announced during the closing ceremony of the Grand Finale, on Saturday, April 18, end of the day. A public announcement of all the winners will be released in the following week by the Governance Committee.

 

 

How to
participate?

Admission criteria 

Participating Institutions
Organizations eligible to become participating institutions and to hold an in-house competition are: 

  • Universities across the province of Quebec that offer graduate programs in Health Sciences;
  • Research centers and research institutes affiliated with a Quebec university and dedicated to training students in Health Sciences.

Please, be aware that it is not possible to hold more than one in-house competition within the same university or institution (e.g. different departments, programs, campuses, etc.). 

* We invite thematic networks that are interested in participating in the competition to contact us directly via the email address sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca.

Candidates 
Individuals who are eligible to take-on a Science POP challenge are:  

  • Full-time students enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral program at a Quebec university and carrying out research activities related to Health Sciences;  
  • Postdoctoral fellows pursuing research activities related to Health Sciences at a Quebec university, research center or research institute;
  • Graduate students from another Canadian province or abroad who are doing a research internship at a Quebec university, research center or research institute.

Candidates must meet these eligibility criteria, from the moment of their registration to the date of their institution’s in-house competition. Any subsequent change in their status (graduation, direct passage, end of postdoctoral training, etc.) will not affect their eligibility to proceed to the Provincial Finale. However, the Governance Committee must be notified at sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT WINNERS OF PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF A SCIENCE POP GRAND FINALE CONTEST (Chief Scientist Prize - 1st place AND Jacques-Genest Prize -2nd place) ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SAME CHALLENGE IN ANOTHER EDITION. They are nevertheless encouraged to participate in one of the two other challenges offered by Science POP. This does not apply to previous winners of a People’s Choice Award, who can still sign up as candidates.

 

Obligations of a Participating Institutions

Graphics Chart
All promotional and/or audiovisual material used for Science POP (posters, banners, logos, fonts, etc.) must be prepared using the tools provided by the Governance Committee. Those are available on the Science POP website in the “Tools for participating institutions” section . For any required additional tool, the contact person of the participating institution should send a request at sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca. All posts on social networks concerning Science POP must contain the hashtag #sciencepop. 

Accessibility
The IRCM and the FRQ recommend that participating institutions organize competitions that respect the values of equity, diversity and inclusion, and that encourage people from minority groups to take on a challenge. As far as language is concerned, the use of French is encouraged; however, it is possible to hold a competition and/or participate in English, provided that a French translation service is offered to the audience. The Provincial Grand Finale will be hosted in French, with free live translation. Access will be gained by scanning a QR code using a cell phone. 

Public Engagement
The primary mission of Science POP is to promote dialogue between scientists and their surrounding society. As such, participating institutions are strongly encouraged to involve the general public in all aspects of their competition, whether as audience members, volunteers or judges.

Embargo for In-House Competition Finalists 
It is forbidden to broadcast audiovisual recordings or slides of a winning presentation on a publicly available platform (e.g. websites, social networks, newsletter, etc.) prior to the public announcement of the provincial final winners by the FRQ and IRCM. Any such publication of release will result in the disqualification of the candidates concerned. An e-mail will be sent to contact persons and finalists when the embargo is lifted.

 

Obligations of candidates

Single participation
Candidates wishing to participate in the Science POP contest may not register to more than one in-house competition among those organized by the various participating institutions and must choose one challenge for which they wish to be eligible to win a prize and follow through to the Provincial Grand Finale. Any additional challenge can only be taken out-of-competition and candidate must disclose in advance, at the moment of their registration, which presentation is to be considered as in-competition. 

Presence at the Provincial Finale
From the moment of their registration, candidates must commit to being available to participate in person at the Provincial Grand Finale, scheduled for April 17 and 18, 2026, should they rank 1st place in a challenge of their participating institution's in-house competition. Should an unexpected situation prevent them from participating in person at the Grand Finale, the candidate who ranked 2nd will take their place at the Grand Finale. This decision will be irreversible.

Consent 
Candidates must consent to their name, photo, presentation details and any audiovisual recordings in which they feature be used for promotional purposes by the Governance Committee and/or its partners at FRQ and IRCM. This could be in the form of web pages, communications (e-mails, newsletters, news, newspaper articles, posts on social media, etc.), multimedia productions (videoclips, films, DVDs, etc.), or artistic montages (posters, exhibitions, etc.).

Embargo
Candidates must respect the embargo described in the section above (Obligations of participating institutions > Embargo for in-house competition finalists).

Challenge-Specific Guidelines
Regardless of the challenge they choose, all candidates must provide a title and a brief description of their presentation at the moment of their registration to participate in an in-house competition. Instructions will be provided by the Governance Committee. However, each challenge has different requirements in terms of presentation length, format and permissions. Candidates should make sure they are well-informed of these details, by consulting the reference documents that are already available on the website or provided to them by their institution’s contact person. For any questions or clarifications, the Governance Committee recommends that candidates reach out to their institution’s contact person or send an email  to sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca. 

Presentation Visual Support
To take on a challenge, candidates must prepare a presentation in the form of a speech (no songs, poems, mimes, etc.), without soundtracks or pre-recorded narration. Visual supports (slides and/or a stage prop, as dictated for each challenge) are not mandatory, but strongly recommended. Candidates must be the authors of the images, drawings, animations and videos used. Otherwise, it is imperative that they verify the material’s copyrights and licences and have authorization to use it, and to provide a full reference. If the candidate chooses to bring a prop on stage, he or she must ensure that it is a personal, discreet and easy to transport object; it may only stay on stage for the duration of the presentation. All slides used as visual support must be 1) prepared using the templates provided by the Governance Committee, 2) in 16:9 format on screen, and 3) presented using the Microsoft PowerPoint software (no conversion to PDF or other file types). No presenter's notes or memory aids will be allowed, whether on the screen, in the speaker’s hands or on the podium.

Organizing an In-House Science POP Competition
Participating institutions must hold their in-house competitions between September 1st, 2025 and February 20, 2026. Participating institutions have the option to include one, two or three of the Science POP challenges, described in the “Challenges” section , at their discretion. Participations institutions must be self-reliable in obtaining the financial resources required to hold their in-house Science POP competition and provide award prizes to their winners. The Science POP Governance Committee will support them throughout the organization steps, namely by providing a variety of tools. These tools, are already available on the Science POP website and include:

  • Graphic tools: Official Science POP logo, e-mail banners, website banners, creatives for social media, promotional poster templates, slide templates for the candidate’s challenge presentations, award certificate template, confirmation of participation template, etc. 
  • Logistical tools: Pre-built Fourwaves website (optional for each participating institution; If you are interested please contact science POP for more information on the preferential rates offered), challenge registration form template, challenge candidate commitment form, competition organization checklist, etc.
  • Reference documents: Summary sheets and advice sheets for the challenges, presentation rules summary sheet, standardized and challenge-specific evaluation grids, etc.

For an overview of the steps to organize an in-house competition, please refer to this event planning checklist (French only).

Reaching The Provincial Grand Finale
Once the in-house competition has been held, the list of all participating candidates specifying those who won first-place in each challenge must be forwarded to the Governance Committee before February 24, 2026, at sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca. The contact person of participating institutions will each receive an email listing required the information to be provided. The Provincial Grand Finale will be held on April 17 and 18, 2026 at the IRCM, located downtown Montreal. The finalists are expected to participate in person, in front of a diverse audience and jury members. However, the presentations will be broadcast live online, so that anyone can attend, regardless of their location. The winners of the Science POP contest will be crowned at the closing ceremony of the provincial final, Saturday April 18 at the end of the day. Contact persons of each participating institution, or another representative, are expected to attend the provincial final, most particularly the award ceremony. The winners will be announced to the general public in the following week, by the Governance Committee.

Registering as a challenge candidate
Anyone interested in taking on a Science POP challenge must first consult the eligibility criteria (see the 'Competition' section below) and then check the list of participating institutions, which will be published during the week of June 9, 2025 to see if their establishment will be organizing an in-house competition as part of the Science POP 2025-2026 edition. Details of how to register (dates, information to provide such as profile picture, title and brief description of presentation, etc.) for the corresponding in-house competition will be sent by the contact person of each participating institution.

Preparing for an in-house competition
Reference documents and training tools for challenge candidates are already available on the Science POP website. These resources are there to help them develop their communication skills and adjust their presentation to the expectations of the challenge. The Governance Committee will be holding facultative, monthly Q&A sessions on Zoom, starting in August, 2025, to answer candidates' questions about the expectations and particularities of each challenge. The Zoom link to register and attend these meetings will be sent to the contact persons of each participating institution a few weeks before the start of the meetings.

Preparing for the provincial final
During the months of March and April 2026, finalists from each participating institution will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with one of the in scientific communication, according to their needs for the provincial final.

Finalists’ accommodation
Science POP will offer accommodation near the IRCM for the nights of April 16 and 17, 2026 to finalists from institutions located outside of Greater Montreal who request it. For more information, contact Science POP (sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca).

Important dates
to remember

Whether as an institution or as a challenge candidate, stay tuned for the major stages of the competition, right up until the 2026 Provincial Finale.

From January 30 to May 1, 2025
Registrations of institutions that meet the eligibility criteria to participate in the 3rd edition of Science POP.
Week of May 19, 2025
Confirmation of the participation of 15 registered institutions
From August 2025 to February 2026
Monthly Q&A meetings with candidates from each participating institution, on Wednesdays August 6, September 10, October 8, November 12, December 10, 2025 and January 7 and February 4, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
September 1, 2025 to February 20, 2026
In-house competitions of participating institutions.
February 24, 2026
Deadline for participating institutions to submit their list of winners to the Governance Committee.
From February 25 to April 10, 2026
Individual training in scientific communication offered to each finalist by an expert in the field.
April 17 and 18, 2026
Provincial Grand Finale organized by the IRCM
Week of April 20, 2026
Official announcement of the Grand Finale finalists of the 3rd edition of the Science POP contest.

Check out the pages of our first two editions of page of the first edition of Science POP!

2023 Edition

2024 Edition

To join the
Science POP Initiative, means...

For students
in Health Sciences:

… to develop scientific communication skills

… to engage with your community


For the general public:

… to acquire on biomedical research

… to learn more about the benefits and impact of scientific research


For the Quebec Society:

… to counter misinformation

… to contribute to developing a strong scientific literacy

Joining the
Science POP Initiative, means...

For partners :

… be a player in the promotion and influence of cutting-edge research in life sciences carried out in Quebec

… become an ally in the development of Quebec's excellent next generation of scientists

… contribute to the sharing of scientific knowledge with the general public

Discover previous edition's partners here!

To find out more and receive our visibility plan, contact us, sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca

“Science POP was a great way to challenge myself in the art of science communication in my research. The prospect of getting the internship reward was a great source of motivation for me. The best part of the day was connecting with other passionate science communicators.”

Madhura Lotlikar
2nd place in the Outreach Challenge (Science POP 2023)

The IRCM's
Promise

With Science POP, the IRCM is offering a scientific popularization event aimed at gathering around science Quebec's main biomedical research players, their next generation of scientists and the general public, in a spirit of healthy competition, exchanges and learning. In keeping with the long tradition of collaboration between the IRCM and other research institutions in Quebec, this contest’s impact is intended to be provincial and collective. Science POP is thus a unique opportunity to create a healthy bridge between the scientific community and the population, by promoting the excellent work carried out in all the research institutions of the province and making it accessible to all.
The IRCM understands that this exercise only makes sense if it respects the fundamental principles that govern scientific thinking and give it its strength: observation, rigour and collegiality. Consequently, the IRCM is committed to take all necessary and commonly accepted measures to conduct Science POP with respect, transparency, fairness and impartiality.
Good luck to all!    

 

Governance
Committee

Anna Lieby
Project Coordinator – Communications and events, IRCM
Christine Matte 
Coordinator – Faculty and Scientific Affairs, IRCM
Michel Cayouette 
Vice president – Research and Academic Affairs, IRCM
Florence Meney
Director – Communications and Public Affairs, IRCM
Sébastien Sabbagh 
Director – Academic Affairs, IRCM
Jennifer Estall 
Associate Vice President – Scientific Life, IRCM
Valérie Morquette
Senior Advisor – Communications and Public Affairs, IRCM
Michaël Bernier 
Program Manager, FRQS
Manon Pelletier 
Director, Development of projects and partnerships, FRQ
Marianne Langlois
Representant – Students' Association, IRCM

 

Contact us


Governance Committee
sciencepop@ircm.qc.ca


Media Contact: Florence Meney
(514) 755-2516
florence.meney@ircm.qc.ca

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