The Renaissance Award is highly personal. It’s a chance for you to work on a project that matters to you.  

• Lead a 4- to 12-month project of your choosing.
• Receive up to $25K each year, depending on the project budget.
• Students in financial need may build a wage into their budget to help compensate for time spent on the project.
• Individuals and teams of two are welcome to apply.

The Renaissance Award is really meant to promote inquiry and encourage people to do something different than they ever thought they might. This award is for students who want to go outside the box and bring some of the expertise from other specialties into their own area of study. It’s meant to encourage people to get away from a regimented stream and course of events into something that’s a little less planned, a little less obvious to most people, and to encourage exploration. We’d like students today to know that there are actually many pathways.

— Drs. Jolie Ringash and Glen Bandiera, founders of the Renaissance Award

Application support

Our certified experiential learning coordinators can help you explore ideas, set goals and make a plan before you apply. Please email experiential@mcmaster.ca and include “Renaissance Award” in the subject line.

Project support

If selected, you will require a faculty advisor and a student success coach for your project. You will be required to stay in contact with both throughout your project completion.

• Student success coach: If you are selected as a recipient, you will be assigned a student success coach who can help guide you to explore, reflect and act — all essential components of experiential learning. You will stay in touch for project updates, deliverables and any challenges that you might encounter.
• Faculty advisor: You will need to find a faculty advisor for your project. This advisor must be a faculty member from outside your program whose expertise aligns with your project goals. They will help guide your research direction and provide academic support throughout the process.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Renaissance Award, you must:

• Have completed the first year of your program
• Be a current full-time undergraduate, graduate or School of Medicine student
• Have a cumulative GPA of 10 or more
• Want to engage in a 4- to 12- month self-directed enrichment experience outside your chosen program of study

The full eligibility details are also posted on AwardSpring.

Where to apply

The exciting announcement of the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement in 2022, alongside our commitment in meeting the evolving needs of our students, has created a moment of reflection for the Wilson Leadership Scholar Award program, which will pause applications for 2024–2025. 

We are immensely proud of all the Wilson Leaders, and would like to thank them for their contributions to the program and impact in our community.  

For me, what has been most useful about the award program has been the opportunity to explore my own interests and alternative ways of thinking about the world, with support from peers, mentors and staff (i.e., Liz!). I have been introduced to so many different avenues of thinking and doing community-engaged work, which I wouldn’t have been introduced to before. Exploring with peers and mentors how young people can contribute to change in terms of climate and economic recovery has also been really motivating and hopeful for me. 

What, if anything, has surprised you about it?

I have been surprised by how supportive the program is to the iterative, changing and flexible process of exploring. I think, sometimes it is hard to explore what is possible outside the box because support isn’t always there, but the program has provided invaluable support to explore outside the box. This allowed me to really dive into my curiosity about what is possible in the challenges we face today as a society — and as young people. This support has included ongoing resources, mentors and suggested opportunities to continue exploring my curiosities and questions about what is possible — it has been really exciting and fulfilling!  

This year, have you done anything as a Wilson Leader that you might not have done if you weren’t in the program?

Yes! There are many things — the people I have met, conversations I have had, opportunities I have thought about and explored. But two things stand out for me.

First, I got to work on a passion project to create a critical self-reflection guide in partnership with the McMaster Office of Community Engagement and student community. I had been thinking about critical self-reflection in research since my undergraduate degree, so the opportunity to partner with the McMaster community and develop the guide was really exciting and something I don’t think I would have done otherwise.

And second, I have had the opportunity to explore the realm of foresight and futurism in policy and practice through conversations, mentors and a practical certificate program, which I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to explore. Exploring foresight and futurism has been hugely influential in my dissertation work, and I am really grateful the program has supported my ongoing curiosity with it! 

What advice would you share with someone who’s considering applying? 

I would encourage anyone considering applying to go for it — throw your hat into the ring. My experience throughout the interview process and this past year has shown me that the WLSA invests in people and their potential, so I would also say, totally embrace yourself and your capacity. The award and the opportunities it provides leverage the skills you already have, and allow for really exciting exploration of ideas and opportunities. So, go for it, and embrace yourself in the process!