William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award

Named in honour of the Faculty of Engineering’s founding professor, the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award recognizes Faculty of Engineering undergraduate students who have made exceptional contributions to society. It's a celebration of citizenship, and of engineering students, who go to extraordinary lengths to make our world a better place.

Students must be nominated then are selected by a diverse committee made up of faculty, staff, alumni and industry partners. Up to five students will be inducted into the William Muir Edwards Society and receive a $10,000 award.


Base Eligibility

  • Enrolled full-time in a University of Alberta undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Engineering.
  • Returning full-time undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Engineering (students currently in their final year of study are not eligible).
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a full-time course load in the previous two academic terms.
  • Co-op students are eligible for this award. 
  • Are able to receive the full value of the award, if selected.
  • Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

How to Apply

  • By application to the Undergraduate & Graduating Scholarship Competition in Bear Tracks.
  • You will be required to provide contact information for a reference. Be sure to choose someone who can speak, from their own experience, about one or more of the points that you have included in your scholarship application.

Evaluation Criteria

Students will be evaluated on:

  • Volunteerism, contributions, and efforts, both on-campus and off-campus, that work to make the world a better place. This is not limited to engineering and technical pursuits. We want to hear about all the great things our students do.
  • The breadth of citizenship.
  • The impact of citizenship.

Please note that contributions made as part of a paid position will not be considered and that the contributions and activities must be current. Details about past activities can be provided, but students, nominees, and references must be able to demonstrate how the student is still actively engaged in citizenship.

What is Citizenship?

Citizenship, in our view, is service above self and working to make the world a better place. This can be seen through volunteerism or efforts in any number of ways where the outcome positively impacts society.

For answers to frequently asked questions, please see our William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award FAQ.