GSAW & EGRS
Grad Student Appreciation Week & Excellence in Graduate Research Symposium
GSAW & EGRS 2025
The Graduate Students’ Society (GSS), in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) and UVic Libraries, is once again hosting a graduate student research day (Excellence in Graduate Research Symposium – EGRS) as part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week (GSAW)!
Graduate Student Appreciation Week is an event series celebrating UVic grad students, with opportunities for socializing, studying, self-care, and sharing your research!
The 2025 GSAW will run from November 3 – 6.
EGRS will be hosted on Wednesday, November 5.
Applications for EGRS will open on September 3, 2025. The application form will be posted on the 3rd.
Our Event Schedule is still being finalized, so watch this space!
Grad Student Appreciation Week
- Morning Coffee
- 9:00am – 10:30am in Halpern Centre’s Side Project
- Free coffee, tea, muffins, & fruit!
- Cider & Citations with UVic Libraries
- 2pm – 4pm in Halpern Centre’s Side Project
- Free hot apple cider to enjoy while you study!
- Connect with UVic Libraries, who will be joining us!
- GSS AGM
- 5pm – 7pm in Halpern Centre’s Side Project
- Attend the GSS Annual General Meeting to learn about what we’ve been working on, and what the Executive Board has planned for the coming year!
- Meet Your GRC Rep
- 7pm – 8pm in Halpern Centre’s Side Project
- Share complimentary beer & mocktail jugs and connect with your department’s Graduate Representative Council member!
- Excellence in Graduate Research Symposium
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm in Halpern Centre & the Grad House
- Morning & afternoon poster sessions & presentations will be held in the Grad House and Side Project. A timeline of the day will be posted closer to the date.
- Open to all!
- Panel: ‘Getting the Most out of your Supervisory Relationship’
- 4:00pm – 5:00pm
- Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Post-EGRS Happy Hour
- From 2pm – 6pm in the Grad House
- Naloxone Training
- 10:00 am – 11:00 am in room 108, Halpern Centre
- Basic Naloxone Training provided on a drop-in basis, with free Naloxone kits for participants.
- Self-Care Workshop
- 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm in room 108, Halpern Centre
- Hosted by Wendy Lum, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (BCACC) from the Wellness Centre
- Hot Chocolate & Board Games
- 5:30pm – 8pm in Side Project
- Enjoy free hot chocolate & learn to knit / spend some quiet time colouring.
- GSAW Wrap Party
- 6pm – 9pm in the Grad House / Side Project
- Free samosas for the first 100 grad students! Come celebrate the end of Grad Student Appreciation Week with us!
- Door prizes supplied courtesy of Hoyne Brewing Co, UVic Bookstore, & Cinecenta!
Excellence in Graduate Research Symposium
The Excellence in Graduate Research Symposium (EGRS) is a multi-disciplinary research showcase held in the Halpern Centre for Graduate Students. There will be poster sessions, presentations, and a multiform virtual session. Applications to participate are welcome from UVic graduate students at any point in their research. Please see the FAQ’s below.
Applications for EGRS will be open from September 3rd to October 3rd.
The application form will be posted here on September 3rd. Applications should be submitted to gsslife@uvic.ca.
The first rolling deadline for early bird applications is September 19th. Applications received by this date will be responded to by September 22nd. All applications will receive a response by October 6th.
EGRS FAQ's
FAQ for Faculty
Who is organizing this event?
The Excellence in Graduate Research Symposium (EGRS) and the surrounding events of Graduate Student Appreciation Week (GSAW) are organized by the UVic Graduate Students’ Society (GSS) in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) and the UVic Libraries.
The inaugural EGRS/GSAW took place in 2023. Due to its success, we have made this an annual event to show appreciation for our UVic graduate students, and to showcase their research.
Will there be opportunities to socialize?
Yes! If you attend EGRS, please stick around for our extended Happy Hour! Check back here for more details closer to the event.
Why should I encourage my students to participate?
This event is meant to be the graduate student equivalent to Honours fest. It is great practice for students who may attend conferences in the future, developing knowledge mobilization skills and gathering valuable audience feedback on their research.
Printing and A/V are provided for all participants, and there is no cost for registration. It will not cost you anything to send your students!
There will be an opportunity for all presenters to win additional awards for presentation quality and academic communication, thanks to donations by the University Libraries.
Are there resources I can direct my students to prior to the event?
The UVic Libraries/Digital Scholarship Commons will be offering workshops prior to the symposium to assist students with effective presentation skills and digital poster design. Participants are encouraged to register for these workshops in advance, as space is limited.
Registration links will be posted here when they become available.
Thursday, October 9th – 12:30pm – 1:30pm – Academic Poster Design on Canva – on Zoom
Friday, October 10th – 12:30pm – 1:50pm – Death by PowerPoint workshop – on Zoom
I’m a faculty member and would like to help with the event. What can I do?
Please get in contact with gssinternal@uvic.ca or gss3@uvic.ca. We always welcome more judges! Additionally, promotion of EGRS and GSAW amongst your students is so valuable, and we hope you encourage them to apply and attend.
FAQ for Applicants & Participants
Which disciplines is this event for?
All of them! This is an interdisciplinary research day. Please come with an open mind and be prepared to learn lots outside of your field!
Where do I send my EGRS application form?
Applications open on September 3rd. Please send your completed application form to gsslife@uvic.ca by October 3rd at 4pm at the latest. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with preference given to those received by the first deadline, September 19th. We will do our best to accommodate preferences for presentation style and length, but will allocate slots on a first come, first served basis.
We will contact applicants by email to confirm if you have been accepted.
I’m a first-year student, can I participate?
Yes, if you can make a poster/presentation, you are more than welcome to present! We do encourage first-year presenters to select a 5-minute presentation slot, as this may feel more comfortable and easier to fill. Presenting your research at its current stage is perfectly acceptable and welcome.
What presentation length should I select?
The options for presentation length are a 20 minute slot (15 minute presentation, 5 minutes for questions) or 5 minutes (no question period).
We suggest if you are in an early stage of your research, perhaps a 5-minute talk would be best. Otherwise, we encourage you to present for 15 minutes and take 5 minutes of questions. Select whatever you are comfortable with!
5 minute presentations and 20 minute presentations will be judged separately.
What should presenters have ready?
Presenters should have slides prepared, as relevant to their presentation. Once you’re accepted, you’ll receive information about where to submit these ahead of time so our facilitator can have them ready for you.
Slides should be shared with us by November 3rd.
Presenting work in my discipline doesn’t really work on a poster, what should I do?
We welcome creativity in poster designs, but if you are still uncertain, sign up for a presentation slot! Please indicate this as your preference in your application, along with any A/V requirements you need.
I have never presented my research in front of an audience before. How do I know what to include?
The UVic Libraries/Digital Scholarship Commons will be offering a workshop on PowerPoint design, and encourage you to attend if you would like support with effective presentation delivery.
We will post the registration link here when it is available.
Friday, October 10th – 12:30pm – 1:50pm: Death by PowerPoint workshop – on Zoom.
What if I don’t have a poster printed?
If you spend your valuable time to make a poster for this event, we will pay for the printing charges! Once you receive your acceptance email, please send us your poster at gss3@uvic.ca by Friday, October 17th at 4pm PST, and we will handle the printing! Please see below for more information about printing requirements.
If you would like support or advice on designing an effective poster, we encourage you to sign up for the workshop hosted by the UVic Libraries/Digital Scholarship Commons on academic poster design.
We will post the registration link here when it is available.
Thursday, October 9th – 12:30pm – 1:30pm – Academic Poster Design on Canva – on Zoom
Where do I send my poster for printing?
Please first ensure that your poster file meets all the requirements listed below and/or in the application form before submitting. Posters that are the incorrect size will not be accepted, and we may ask you to resubmit, providing there is time remaining before the printing deadline.
Please send us your poster at gss3@uvic.ca by October 17th at 4pm and we will print it for you.
What size & format does my poster have to be?
If you have a poster already printed, anything is good as long as it will fit on a 4’ x 4’ rolling tack board.
This year, we are offering printing courtesy of the Digital Scholarship Commons Large Format Printing service. If you are submitting a file to be printed, it must be 48” x 36” and a print-ready PDF. If you are using a template, please ensure it is the correct dimensions.
If you are submitting a file to be printed through us, it must be 48” x 36”. Please follow Blink printing’s Poster Design Guidelines, which include templates. Ensure the template you choose is 48” x 36”.
If your poster is the wrong size, we will either ask you to resize and resubmit it, or be unable to accept it, depending on how close we are to the printing deadline.
Why is the poster paper different this year?
This year, for the first time, we are offering printing via the UVic Libraries Digital Scholarship Commons. The costs saved through using this service enable us to delivery complimentary printing, and direct funds back to GSAW events for the benefit of graduate students. The Digital Scholarship Commons provides printing on draft-quality paper or prototype printing only.
If you need heavier paper or print resolution suitable for external conferences, presentations, or displays, you may obtain the via external commercial or student-run print services such as Zap Copy or Blink. All such services are at participants’ discretion/expense; the GSS cannot reimburse costs incurred from using external printing.
What A/V supplies will you provide?
We will have a projector, speaker, and mic available for the presentations. The presentations will be ready to present on our session chair’s laptop. We will also have a USB-C – HDMI adaptor. Please tell us if you require anything else and we will try to accommodate you!
What do I get out of participating?
We encourage you to treat this as an academic conference on your CV! We will send out digital certificates of presentations after the symposium, or printed copies upon request. All participants will also receive a complimentary drink ticket to the Grad House (valid until Friday, November 7th).
Can I win anything?
Yes, there will be cash prizes for top posters and presentations.
I teach/have class on Wednesdays; can I still participate?
For both poster and presentation sessions, if there is a time slot that will not work for you, please indicate this on your application form.
If you are participating in a poster session, it is ideal if you are able to attend most of the time, as attendees and judges will want to discuss your research with you. For presentations, naturally if you cannot attend your session, you won’t be able to present!
Please email gsslife@uvic.ca if you have any questions about time conflicts.
I’m in a discipline that is offered via distance education, can I still participate?
Yes, we will have a virtual session just for students like you! Please indicate this as your preference on the application form.
What will the posters and presentations be judged on?
Generally, the posters and presentations will be judged on the following:
- Organization and Flow
- Clarity of Content
- Quality of Presentation
- Overall Efficacy of Communication
The 15 minute presentations will be judged separately from the 5 minute presentations.
Can I see an example before I decide whether to print with the GSS?
If you would like to see a sample of the poster quality/paper size, please contact the Digital Scholarship Commons.
Who will be judging EGRS?
Members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and representatives from the UVic Libraries will be the principal judges.
When should I come to drop off my poster / set up my presentation?
A detailed itinerary of the day will be sent to participants in advance, including times for set-up and take-down.
Can’t find the answer to your question? Reach out to gss3@uvic.ca or gsslife@uvic.ca
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