IHDCYH Talks

Table of Contents

• Description
• Objectives
• Funds Available
• Eligibility
• Guidelines
• Review Process and Evaluation
• Ownership
• How to Apply
• Definitions and submission criteria
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • Podcasts
  • Arts-based and creative knowledge sharing
• Past IHDCYH Talks Video Competition winners
• Contact Information

Description

The IHDCYH Talks competition celebrates and amplifies knowledge mobilization outputs and knowledge sharing creations that share a clear, evidence-based message and are designed to have an impact on the health of children, youth, and families. It is important that the content of the submissions be current, engaging, easily understood, and accessible. The 2026 competition is offered in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health (IIPH).

NEW this year is a category for arts-based and creative knowledge sharing submissions. There are also awards available for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (Indigenous) health-related submissions within each of the four format categories: videos, infographics, podcasts,  and arts-based and creative knowledge sharing (see the Research Areas section for more detail).

Submissions of the following formats will be accepted (see Definitions and submission criteria section for more detail):

• Videos
• Infographics
• Podcasts
• Arts-based and creative knowledge sharing New

Objectives

The objectives of the competition are to share and mobilize research within IHDCYH’s Areas of Focus (Better Beginnings, Vibrant Childhoods, and Empowered Youth), and help demonstrate and increase the impact that evidence has on human development, child, and youth health in Canada.

Research Areas

In addition to submissions that align with the overall objectives of this competition, dedicated funding is available within each format category to support awards relevant to the Indigenous Health Research Area. These submissions may relate to the health and wellness priorities of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, youth, families, communities, and Nations across diverse geographic, cultural, and community contexts, urban, rural, remote, and northern settings.

To be eligible for the Indigenous Health Research Area awards, submissions should reflect community-defined priorities, amplify Indigenous voices, and align with CIHR-IIPH's mandate. Submissions may include Indigenous knowledges, self-determined approaches to health and wellness, and knowledge sharing that is grounded in community, Nation, family, and youth priorities.

For additional information related to the review of submissions to the Indigenous Health Research Area awards, please refer to the Review Process and Evaluation section.

Funds available

The total amount available for this competition is up to $50,000, enough to fund approximately sixteen (16) awards. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. Of this $50,000:

• $36,000 is available to fund twelve (12) awards, three (3) awards in each of the four (4) format categories in the general research area
  • The amount per award is $3,500 for first place, $3,000 for second place, and $2,500 for third place, in each format category
• $14,000 is available to fund four (4) awards, one (1) award in each of the four (4) format categories that is relevant to the Indigenous Health Research Area
  • The amount per award is $3500

CIHR’s financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds, and CIHR reserves the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to awards received as a result of this funding opportunity.

Eligibility

This competition accepts submissions from members of the human development, child and youth health research community, across all format categories. For a submission to be eligible, the requirements stated below must be met.

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:
   1. Researchers, knowledge users, scholars and health professionals affiliated with Canadian postsecondary institutions and/or their affiliated institutions including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation.
   2. Undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars engaged in research and research-related activities.
   3. An individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
   4. Researchers and scholars working in municipal, provincial and territorial government where the activity which forms the subject matter of the funding is not being funded by specific programs of those municipal, provincial and territorial governments.
   5. Non-governmental organizations (including community organizations and regional health authorities) with a research or knowledge translation mandate.
2. The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada.

Guidelines

Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.

Review Process and Evaluation

Relevance Review Process

CIHR will perform a relevance review to identify submissions that are in alignment with the objectives of this funding opportunity, submission criteria, format definitions, eligibility criteria, and the Indigenous Health Research Area (if applicable).

For submissions to the Indigenous Health Research Area, relevance reviewers or advisors will bring appropriate expertise in Indigenous health research, Indigenous knowledge sharing, community-based research, and/or First Nations, Inuit, and Métis health and wellness priorities across diverse geographic, cultural, and community contexts.

Submissions that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition.

Evaluation Process

For information on CIHR’s peer review principles, see the Peer Review: Overview section of CIHR’s website.

This competition includes two evaluation routes.

1. Videos, infographics and podcast submissions are reviewed using defined evaluation criteria in combination with public voting.
2. Arts‑based knowledge sharing creations are ranked by a selection committee using guiding principles in combination with public voting.

All eligible submissions will be shared in a virtual gallery that will be open for public voting during November 2026.

For submissions to the Indigenous Health Research Area, the evaluation process will recognize that Indigenous health and wellness priorities may be expressed in diverse ways, including through Indigenous knowledges, lived experiences, creative practices, language, storytelling, cultural connection, and self-determined approaches to health and wellness.

1. Videos, Infographics, and Podcasts

In calculating the overall application score, the submission will be scored as follows:

• Peer review – 90%
• Public voting – 10%

Evaluation Criteria

A peer review committee will assess the strength of the submission relative to the following criteria:

• Purpose: The purpose of the video / infographic / podcast is clear. The information provided is practical (e.g., increases knowledge or awareness, sparks dialogue and engagement, guides decision making) and relevant to the intended audience. A clear description of the evidence used must be part of the video / infographic / podcast or included in the “References” section of the application.
• Clarity: The content is delivered in a way that uses common, everyday language (e.g., plain language). The level of detail is appropriate to the intended audience, and the information shared would be understandable to someone who does not have previous knowledge on the topic presented.
• Organization: The content is well organized and easy to follow. The video / infographic / podcast tells a story and/or presents the information in a logical sequence. Cues (audio or visual) are used to help structure the information to make it more understandable (e.g., informative headers, text emphasis, icons/images highlight key pieces of information, clear introduction of concepts).
• Engagement: The content is delivered in an appealing manner (e.g., graphics are visually pleasing and re-enforce key messages, the sound quality is good, the content is shared creatively). The way the information is presented makes the content easy to understand and/or remember.
• Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility: The video / infographic / podcast incorporates diversity and inclusion principles and concepts appropriately in content and/or design (e.g., images that are representative, the content reflects cultural safety practices, there is an appropriate colour contrast for text, readable font sizes, the pace of the audio is appropriate). The content is also presented in a way that is relatable to the intended audience.

2. Arts-based knowledge sharing

Arts-based knowledge sharing will be evaluated through a selection committee given the interpretive nature of art. In calculating the overall application score, the submission will be scored as follows:

• Selection committee – 40%
• Public voting – 60%

Evaluation Criteria

A selection committee will review and assess the submissions in this category based on the following guiding principles:

• Ability to spark reflection on the research or knowledge centred on human development, child and youth health 
• Illuminative quality (e.g., evoking connection to the audiences’ feelings and new ways of knowing)
• Incorporation of meaningful aesthetic and expressive qualities

Funding Decision

All submissions will initially be funded in rank order by format category (video, infographic, podcast, arts-based knowledge sharing creation). The next top ranked submission that is relevant to the Indigenous Health Research Area will be awarded the Indigenous Health prize in each format category.

Note: A lottery/randomized process may be used to fund the last application(s) should there be more than one submission with the same score.

An announcement of the winning submissions will be published on the CIHR website. All winning submissions will receive a certificate of award.

Ownership

Individuals / groups retain copyright over their submissions. CIHR will not use the submissions outside of the parameters of this competition.

Winning submissions will be promoted through IHDCYH’s channels (website, newsletter, and social media).

How to Apply

The application process for this competition has 2 steps: Registration and Submission.

• Complete the online registration form by September 28, 2026.
• Complete the online submission form by October 14, 2026. You will receive an email when the submission form is live.
  • Please note, the submission form includes instructions to submit a thumbnail graphic (to be used during the public voting) and consent form (if required) to IHDCYH to finalize your full submission.
  • For videos, infographics, and podcasts,  your submission must be accessible from a publicly available link that you will share in the submission form. We will not accept submissions for the infographic, podcast, or video categories in any other format than publicly available online content (e.g., no email attachments or uploads to an online space with limited access).
  • For arts-based knowledge sharing creations, if your submission is accessible from a publicly available link, you can share it in the submission form. If the submission is not already posted publicly online, please contact IHDCYH-IDSEA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca for options on how to proceed.

Definitions and submission criteria

The following submission criteria apply to all formats:

• Videos, infographics,  podcasts, and arts-based and creative knowledge sharing submissions may be submitted in English, French, or Indigenous languages. If the submission content is in an Indigenous language, applicants should provide an English and/or French translation or summary for review processes, recognizing that some concepts, meanings, or teachings may not translate directly. Applicants may submit a new or existing piece of content.
• The content must have been created within the last 2 years.
• The content of the video, infographic,  podcast, or arts-based and creative knowledge sharing submission must show clear evidence of being tailored for the human development and/or child and/or youth health context.
• The submission must describe the content’s knowledge base as well as how the content mobilizes that knowledge. (Sources of knowledge include but are not limited to journal articles, datasets, registered clinical trials, experts consulted, information gathered from people with lived and living experience, and knowledge shared by Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Holders.)
• Content that does not originate from the applicant's team is acceptable for inclusion with appropriate consent, but should be clearly placed into context. All sources of information used to create the submission should be included in the reference list.
• For submissions that are co-created with,  informed by, or based on knowledges shared by Indigenous communities, organizations, Elders, Knowledge Holders, youth, families, or Nations, applicants should ensure that the material has been shared with the appropriate community(ies), organization(s), or Knowledge Holders(s), and that they have appropriate permission to submit the work to this competition. Where applicable, products should be understood as co-owned and should remain available to the relevant community(ies), organization(s), and/or health organizations for their own use and dissemination.
• Where submissions include Indigenous data, community-held knowledges, stories, images, voices, language, cultural knowledge, or knowledge shared by Elders or Knowledge Holders, applicants should ensure that Indigenous data governance principles, community protocols, consent, and appropriate permissions have been respected.
• Only one application may be submitted per Nominated Principal Applicant (primary applicant), per format category. (For example, an NPA may submit a video and an infographic, but not two videos.)
• Submissions may not be made in multiple categories where the content is mostly the same, for example, an audio podcast that was also recorded as a video may not be submitted in both the podcast and video categories.
• The submission must not have been awarded a prize in a previous IHDCYH Talks competition.

Videos

Definition:

A video is recorded visual material, usually with sound and/or text visible on the screen, made digitally or on video. It may be actual footage (e.g. of people and places), in an illustration style, or any other style of moving or changing images.

Video eligibility criteria:

• The video must be 5 minutes or less.
• Any individuals appearing or heard in the video must sign and be identified in a consent form. A form [ PDF (82 KB) ] is provided for your convenience but other forms are accepted. If individuals cannot provide consent, e.g. passers-by on the street, then their appearance must be concealed so they are unrecognizable.
• Use of AI tools in the creation of videos must be clearly indicated within the video.

Infographics

Definition:

An infographic is a knowledge mobilization tool that combines text with images, graphics, and/or data visualisations to communicate evidence-based information in a way that is visually appealing and easy to understand.

Infographic eligibility criteria:

• Infographics should be no larger than the equivalent of two letter size pieces of paper. They may be one or two pages, for example, two letter size pages intended to print out double sided, or one page that is twice as long or wide as a letter size page.
• In digital terms, two letter size pieces of paper would be no larger than:
  • 816 x 2000 pixels
  • 22 x 53 cm
  • 8.5 x 22 inches
• Any individuals appearing on the infographic must sign and be identified in a consent form. A form [ PDF (82 KB) ] is provided for your convenience but other forms are accepted.
• Use of AI tools in the creation of the infographic must be clearly indicated within the infographic.

Infographic exclusion criteria:

The following formats will not be accepted for this competition:

• Research posters
• Interactive infographics embedded into websites

Podcasts

Definition:

A podcast is a digital audio file available online for downloading or streaming to a computer or mobile device. Podcasts are typically available as a series.

Podcast eligibility criteria:

• The podcast must be less than 60 minutes long.
• Only one episode can be submitted from a podcast series.
• The main focus of the content should be in IHDCYH's Areas of Focus.
• The podcast must not have been awarded a prize in a previous IHDCYH Talks competition.
• Use of AI tools in the creation of podcasts must be clearly indicated within the podcast.

Arts-based and creative knowledge sharing

Definition

Arts-based and creative knowledge sharing in the context of this competition is the use of art media (e.g., photography, painting, sculpture, storytelling, poetry, beading, performance) to communicate evidence-based knowledge or research. The list of media examples provided here is not exhaustive – we encourage creativity!

Arts-based knowledge sharing eligibility criteria

• The submission format must be a JPEG, PNG, or PDF for any form of visual or text-based art, or a MP3 or MP4 recording for audio or video-based art forms.
• If the original submission is a three- dimensional object (e.g., sculpture, carving), a digital representation should be submitted, (e.g., a photo or video representation of the item).
• The submission must be a single file.
• Any individuals appearing in the submissions must sign and be identified in a consent form. A form [ PDF (82 KB) ] is provided for your convenience but other forms are accepted

Arts-based knowledge sharing exclusion criteria

The following formats will not be accepted for this competition:

• AI-generated art

Past IHDCYH Talks Video Competition winners

• 2025
• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014

Date modified:

2026-08-31