Registration form for VIVA Mental Health / Science POP competition Douglas Research Centre
The VIVA Mental Health Awards aim to reward trainees engaging in knowledge mobilization activities. The VIVA Mental Health Studio and VIVA Mental Health Workshops are available to trainees to help them develop their knowledge mobilization products, and the Douglas Research Centre communication channels will be used to help promote the knowledge mobilization products developed by trainees and research teams at the Douglas.
The 2025 VIVA Award Competition
For the 2025 competition, the VIVA Program is partnering once again with Science POP. Science POP is a Quebec-wide scientific communication competition brought forward by the IRCM and supported by the FRQS with the mission of promoting dialogue between science and society.
Timeline
- October 14, 2025 –Registration deadline
- October 2025 – January 2026 – Preparation of presentations
- January 29th, 2026 – In-person VIVA Awards Event
Find the registration form for the VIVA Mental Health / Science POP competition Douglas Research Centre at the bottom of this article!
Register for the 2025 VIVA Mental Health competition!
This competition allows students and postdocs of the Douglas Research Centre to gain experience in communicating their research topic to a wider audience. The winners of the competition will also have the opportunity to move on to the provincial finals of the Science POP competition.
You can choose among three challenges; these three competitions will be held in parallel, with different objectives and formats.
1. Outreach Challenge
In a 5-minute maximum presentation (in English or in French) candidates will use their creativity to explain a central element of their research project, using accessible language.
To take on this challenge, they must first break their research project down into core notions. Then, they will pick one of those notions and use their educational skills and creativity to translate it into information accessible to a lay audience.
2. Media Challenge
In 2-minute maximum presentations (in English or in French), and in an accompanying press-release, candidates will highlight the novel aspects of their research project and its short- and long-term benefits.
To take on this challenge, they will need to put their communication skills to good use by first writing a proper news release that highlights the importance of their research work. Respecting the format and guidelines is a major part of the challenge.
Then, on the day of the competition, they will have the equivalent of an elevator ride to catch the audience’s attention with a pitch-style presentation, which should start with a catchphrase, pick up on the key points of the news release and end on an impactful conclusion.
3. Sustainable Health Challenge
The candidates (solo or in teams of two) will present a 7-minute TEDx-style talk (in English or in French). They are allowed to use an unlimited number of slides, as well as one prop.
To take on this challenge, they will first have to undertake some introspection about their role, as scientists and members of Quebec society, in promoting sustainable health. Then, they will need to showcase their vision by presenting a personal initiative to develop in the near future, or that they have implemented less than 5 years ago (at the time of the participation in an in-house competition).
Eligibility
The competition is open to graduate students (Master’s and doctoral levels) and postdoctoral trainees whose primary supervisor is a principal investigator at the Douglas Research Centre. Cash prizes will be given to the top few presenters of each challenge within the Douglas VIVA competition. The trainee winning the first prize in each of the three challenges will also participate in the Science POP provincial finals on April 17–18, 2026.
Spots are limited for each of the challenges held at the Douglas. Applicants will be selected based on the information provided in the form below.
Timeline of the competition :
- October 14, 2025: Registration deadline (via this form)
- October 2025: Selection of the applicants for each challenge
- Oct-Nov 2025: Preparation of the oral presentations, and creation of a short video of you presenting the talk (the VIVA Studio available for this, if needed); short training sessions on lay communication and knowledge transfer
- Late Nov/Early Dec 2025: Submission of the videos, and feedback based these videos
- Dec 2025 – Jan 2026: Finalization of the presentations on the basis of the feedback
- January 29 2026; 1:30-4pm: VIVA Award event (in person, at the Douglas)
- April 17-18, 2026: Science POP provincial finals, in person, in Montreal (for the winner of each Douglas VIVA challenge)
For any questions, contact us at: viva.studio@douglas.mcgill.ca
Registration form :
The deadline to submit this form is Wednesday October 14, 2025 at 5 pm