Update: Winners Announced!

The Health Council of Canada is challenging students across the country to find innovative practices in Canadian health care, and show us how they are working. We are asking students to seek out practices, programs, policies or services that inspire them, and that they think might inspire the future of health care in Canada, and share them in an essay format.

What’s in it for the students? We’re offering cash prizes for top entries, as well as the opportunity to intern at the Health Council of Canada and have your work published on our website. Join the conversation on health innovation and best practices – check out the guidelines below for all the details!


Guidelines		Entry Form		Rules		Scorecard

> Details
> Prizes
> FAQ
> Past Winners

Details

To enter, prepare a written submission of up to 2,500 words (plus an abstract) answering the question below in the format outlined in the Guidelines. Submissions will be accepted from individuals or teams of maximum three students registered at a Canadian college or university.

The question is:

What new innovations in health care are having a positive impact in Canada? Identify and describe an innovative practice that is improving health outcomes, and tell us why it is working.

The submission deadline is 5 p.m. EST on January 18, 2013. Entry forms, written submissions, and supporting documents (all which can be downloaded above) must be sent by email to innovation@healthcouncilcanada.ca.

Contestants can also earn bonus points by creating additional material to accompany their entry, including a video, audio recording, blog entry or other means of communication. Read more about this in the Guidelines.

Evaluation

Entries will be shortlisted by Health Council of Canada staff, and the shortlist will be judged by a Health Council of Canada panel of experts, including the Chair and the CEO. For more details on how your entry will be marked, see the Scorecard.

Timeline

Challenge launch: September 10, 2012
Challenge deadline: January 18, 2013, 5:00 p.m. (EST)
Shortlist announcement: March, 2013
Winners announcement: April, 2013
Award presentations: Spring 2013

Shortlist

Read the shortlist of finalists.

Prizes

Cash Prizes

Monetary prizes ranging from $500 to $1,200 will be awarded to each person with a winning entry! Six winning entries will be selected:

Individual Category

1^st place: $1,200
2^nd place: $800
3^rd place: $500

Group Category

1^st place: $1,200 each (per group member, maximum 3 group members)
2^nd place: $800 each (per group member, maximum 3 group members)
3^rd place: $500 each (per group member, maximum 3 group members)

Paid Internship

Winners will be invited to apply for a 4-month paid internship at the Health Council of Canada office in Toronto. There will be no outside applicants, and the intern will be chosen from the group of Challenge winners.

Note: Application is optional and winners are not required to apply.

As an intern in the Analysis and Reporting department, you will assist with projects related to emerging health policy issues. Activities will include gathering and analyzing information, contributing to our publications as well as providing support to working teams as required.

Internship Description

Promotion of Your Work

All winning submissions will be published on the Health Council of Canada website and national e-newsletter.

FAQ

Past Winners

The Health Innovation Challenge started in 2009, and is in its fourth year. Click on the year below if you’d like to see the winning entries. And remember, you can’t use an innovative practice that one of the 2011-2012 winners focused their entry on.