The goal is to identify six Nordic (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands and Iceland) finalists that UArctic will select to represent UArctic at the international science popularization contest during the UArctic Congress held in Reykjavik  (6-8 Oct 2020 in Reykjavik, Iceland)

UArctic Congress is held in conjunction with Arctic Circle (October 8-11), so this ties the student event also with Iceland's Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The themes of the Congress follow the Icelandic chairmanship priorities: Arctic Marine Environment, Climate and Green Energy Solutions, and People and Communities in the Arctic. The UArctic Congress 2020 brings together institutional leaders, indigenous representatives, academics, scientists and students from around the Circumpolar North and beyond. It is an excellent platform for students to engage with each other and promote cooperation in circumpolar science and higher education.

UArctic will grant selected 6 students each 1200€, which can be used for airfare, accommodation, and participation fee during UArctic Congress and Arctic Circle.

MA and PhD students from UArctic Nordic member institutions are eligible to apply. For Master's students, you must have gathered and analyzed your main findings for you Master’s thesis.

Another six finalists representing Québec, Canada, will also be present in Reykjavik. Together the 12 finalists will present their northern research project in five minutes or less on the joint day of UArctic Congress and Arctic Circle. The language of the presentations and proposals is English.

To apply:
Please send your project proposals in the form of video and the following attachments to the UArctic International Secretariat (secretariat@uarctic.org) by May 1, 2020:

  • Cover letter with the applicant’s name, name of sending UArctic member university, name of the PhD or MA topic, name of supervisor, expected year of graduation
  • Letter of recommendation from the Master thesis or Ph.D thesis supervisor
  • a black and white headshot (square pictures are preferred) and  a short bio (100 – 150 words)
  • 300-word abstract of the topic/presentation

Instructions on the video:
The main goal is to make 5 minutes (or less) video presentation on your northern research project to a general audience. You are free to choose the format of the presentation, but you must be the principal speaker in your video. Technical specifications should be adapted for Internet viewing (but honestly, while confined at home, using your cell phone camera in selfie mode will suffice).

  • Image: 1920 x 1080 resolution
  • Suggested format: H264 (MP4)
  • Sound: make sure it's clear

UArctic will make the selection from video presentations (including the other mandatory attachments) received by the deadline.

Special attention is paid to the following regarding the video presentations:

  • Clarity and ease of presentation
  • Scientific popularization of the subject
  • Respect of time and technical criteria requested
  • Structure and content of the presentation
  • General appreciation

It should be noted that no extra points will be awarded for audio-visual editing so that the greatest number of students, regardless of their knowledge in the audio-visual field, can participate. However, special attention must be paid to the sound and image quality of the video.

UArctic aims at an overall balance with the group’s selection on areas of northern research, geographical distribution, (participant from each Nordic country) as well as gender balance. A committee consisting of UArctic’s leadership will select the six finalists who will be invited to present their project in Iceland. UArctic strongly encourages students with an indigenous background to apply. The successful candidates will be informed by June 30.

For more information, please contact the UArctic International Secretariat at secretariat@uarctic.org.

More about My Northern Project:

The introduction to the My Northern Project / Mon Projet Nordique competition in the 2019 UArctic Shared Voices magazine

The 2018 competition "People's Choice" winner Kirill Gurvich's article on his winning topic

My Nothern Project is a cooperation project between Québec and the Nordic countries in Culture, Society, Research and Innovation supported by Nordic Council of Ministers.

Funded by Nordic Council of Ministers Nordic Co-operation between Québec and the Nordic countries.