As national conversations continue around Canada’s role as a global energy superpower, a new scholarship initiative is putting youth perspectives front and centre.
Energy Creates, a national scholarship contest launched in 2024, is awarding five full-tuition scholarships—each worth up to $100,000—to students aged 15–25 whose creative projects envision a future for Canadian energy rooted in innovation, balance, and pragmatism. The total value of this year’s awards is up to $500,000.
Winners of the inaugural contest will be revealed during a televised special airing Sunday, May 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET on The News Forum. The broadcast will also showcase previews of the winning student works, which span a wide array of media, from short films and digital art to poetry and music.
“These students are energy superheroes,” said filmmaker and Energy Creates founder Mathew Embry. “They’ve created powerful work that explores ideas Canada needs to hear. What’s clear from the submissions is that today’s youth aren’t stuck in polarized debates—they’re focused on practical, balanced, and realistic solutions.”
Open to youth across the country, the contest invited original creations that explore the impact of Canada’s energy sector. A unifying theme emerged: young Canadians favour a multifaceted energy future—one that embraces renewables, transitional fuels, and traditional energy sources alike.
The five recipients were selected from hundreds of entries by a panel of independent judges based on the creativity, impact, and message of their submissions. Each winner will receive a full-tuition scholarship to the Canadian post-secondary institution of their choice.
“This feels like a new era,” Embry said. “Canada is exploring what it means to lead as an energy superpower—and these students are already contributing to that vision.”
Energy Creates is an independent, non-partisan initiative unaffiliated with any government or political organization.
The awards show will air on The News Forum on Sunday, May 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET.