The Larry Pearce Education Award is offered by CRHNet members to deserving post-secondary students undertaking studies in any discipline related to Canadian disaster risk and/or emergency management. This competitive award is intended to encourage innovative disaster risk management work in Canada and defray the post-secondary education costs for recipients in the year the award is granted. Accordingly, recipients must be enrolled in full-time studies in the year in which the award is given.
Number and Value of Awards: Three awards are presented annually. The recipient with the highest score will receive $1000, while the second and third place recipients will receive $750 and $500 respectively.
Eligibility: To be eligible to receive this award the nominee must:
Be either a CRHNet Member OR Be a registered full-time student in a disaster or emergency management related program offered by our Academic Partners including, Brandon University, York University, JIBC, and NAIT.
Note: If you are a full time-student at one of our Academic Partners, you are not required to be a CRHNet Member to nominate or receive this award.
Deadline: April 14th, 2026
Selection: All submissions will be adjudicated by the CRHNet Awards Committee against the posted eligibility and award criteria. Nominations will be assessed based on any combination of the nominees academic achievement, innovation, relevant work experience (voluntary or paid), publications (where applicable), presentations, demonstrated leadership or leadership potential, in addition to two letters of reference.
Award Notification: Successful nominees will be notified of the award decision. We thank all those for nominating a student for this award.
Award Acceptance: Awards must be accepted or declined by the date indicated upon notification of award selection.
Nomination Instructions: Individuals can be nominated by submitting the nomination form on this page. Please note that two letters of reference are required to be uploaded to submit the nomination package.
If you require an alternative format to submit your expression of interest, please contact Awards@CRHNet.ca.
Awards recipients will be formally announced and celebrated at the CRHNet symposium in May.
Past Winners:
2024 – Virtual
First Place: Caitlin Parker, City University of Seattle
Second Place: Mathieu Martel, NAIT
Third Place: Zach Smith, York University
2023 – Virtual
First Place: John Hooper, Royal Roads University
2022 – Virtual
First Place: Aidan Osborne, NAIT
Second Place: Willow Weber, York
Third Place: Jennifer Gates, NAIT
2021 – Virtual
First Place: Tiana Putric, York University
Second Place: Jason Molnar, York University
2020 – Virtual
First Place: Amabel D’Souza, NAIT
Second Place: Dan Seguin, Royal Roads University
Third Place: Tiana Putric, York University
2019 – Winnipeg:
First Place: Brady Podloski, York University
Second Place: Abul Kalam Azad, University of Manitoba
2017 – Halifax:
First Place: Kari Lentowicz, Royal Roads University;
Second Place: Sarah Greenberg, York University;
Third Place: Denise Blinn, York University
2016 – Montreal:
First Place: Faraz Hasan (Muhammad Syed), Univ. of Victoria;
Second Place: Catherine Kenny, York University;
Third Place: Zalma Sahar, York University
2015 – Calgary:
First Place (Shared): Jithamala Caldera, University of Calgary;
First Place (shared): Arshad Khan Khalafazi, University of Alberta;
Third Place: Bettina Falloon, Royal Roads University
