The IEEE administers an Institute-wide undergraduate Student Paper Competition. In Canada, the arrangements, rules, and policies governing the competition come from the Regional SAC Chair. Student Branch Chairs and Counselors will receive competition information and reminders from the IEEE Canada RSAC/RSR via email, however, the contest details are posted here for the convenience of all members.

The purpose of the IEEE Student Paper Competition is to offer student members the opportunity to exercise and improve both written and verbal communication skills. As we move towards a global community, effective communication skills are becoming increasingly important. Whether you go into graduate studies, research and design engineering, sales, or management, you will be required to write reports and give presentations. Skills that you develop and use now will give you an edge when you enter the working world.

Only papers from undergraduate Student members are eligible to be entered into the competition. Probationary submissions may be accepted if a membership application has been made by the time of submission. To be considered, all authors must be student members in good standing, so confirmtation of memebrship should be submitted as soon as available.  It is not fair to members in good standing if non-members enter and promise to join if they win. The Branch Chair and Branch Counselor must ensure that only valid entries are accepted.

Papers entered should cover technical, engineering, management, or societal aspects of subjects reasonably within or related to areas with which the IEEE is concerned. The paper can be one written for a course project or work term report, and can be coauthored by up to 4 students. It is not necessary to write a special paper for the competition. However, it is expected that some work may be required to ensure that paper meets the necessary guidelines.

The Competition is a two-tiered event. Papers are first submitted to your Student Branch Counselor. The winning paper from your local competition (school) is then entered into the Regional Competition. To encourage participation, IEEE Canada offers prizes in each of the Councils within the Region (Western Area, Central Area, and Eastern Area):

• Life Memebr Award: $500 for the best paper submitted from each Area, and
  
• Hackbusch Award: $250 for the runner-up paper by University student(s), or
  
• Palin Award: $250 for the runner-up paper by College student(s)

The winners from the Regional Competition may be invited to present their paper at an IEEE sponsored conference. Furthermore, winners may have their paper's summary published by the IEEE on the IEEE Student Paper Contest Hall of Fame website.

The deadlines for the local competition will vary from school to school. Your Branch Counselor will inform you of the key dates to keep in mind. Remember, the Regional deadline is June 1 of each year, so you should expect the deadline for your local competition to be around March or April.

A copy of the paper preparation guidelines and the pre-registration and registration forms are provided as a 3-page pdf file. Although it is not necessary to submit a pre-registration form, it will help your SAC Chair to select appropriate judges for the Regional Competition. Funding for the major prizes is generously provided by the IEEE Life Member’s Committee.