Governor General Gold Medal

The Governor General’s Gold Medal recognizes the highest level of academic achievement in graduate studies in Canada and is one of the most prestigious awards that a graduate student can receive. The Gold Medal is not associated with any monetary award and is accompanied by a certificate inscribed with the recipient’s name. 

Western University annually awards three (3) Gold Medals to outstanding graduate students who will have completed their Master’s (thesis only) or Doctoral degree program.  Only the most meritorious candidates should be put forward to the Faculty Committees. The nomination files undergo a two-tier adjudication involving an initial review and ranking by the Faculty Committee, and a final review and selection by the SGPS Executive Committee. Full detail on the process and responsibilities are found here on the SGPS Funding Opportunities website.

Process and Timeline

• May: Annual call for nominations
• Early August: Deadline for submission to the Faculty of Social Science
• Mid September: University Deadline to receive Faculty-ranked Gold Medal Nominations (each a single PDF) in SGPS
• September: SGPS Executive Committee meets to review nomination files and select the three (3) recipients
• Early October: SGPS submits names of Gold Medalists to the Registrar for Convocation