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pROGRAMS
Applications are open from March 12, 2024 to April 16, 2024 , 11:59 PM (local time).
Late entries will not be considered.
Fourteen (14) prizes will be awarded: twelve (12) awards available for students from Canada, one (1) for a student from the United Kingdom, one (1) for a student from France. The Award consists of a fully-funded educational program in Belgium and France to study global and Canadian themes from First and Second World War history.
The Award includes: air or train travel to and from Europe for each participant; emergency medical travel insurance; accommodations, meals (with the occasional exception during free time); museum access and other educational visits, and transportation to and from all scheduled activities.
Each Prize recipient will have five (5) days from the day on which they are contacted by the Vimy Foundation and informed that they have been declared the winner to make their decision to accept participation in the program. Prize recipients must obtain permission from their parent(s)/guardian(s) and prove that they either have valid travel documents or proof of application for the documents within two (2) weeks of being selected (at their cost).
The program will take place from August 10-20, 2024. An outline of the itinerary is below.
The Vimy Foundation reserves the right to change or modify the Award location and/or dates due to unforeseen incidents or circumstances. The Vimy Foundation is not responsible if weather conditions, event cancellations, strikes, lockouts, labour disturbances or other events beyond the Vimy Foundation’s reasonable control limit or restrict access to any of the planned excursions or locations on the program. The Vimy Foundation makes no representations or warranties with respect to the Award.
Personal expenses are the sole responsibility of the participant. Any meals, beverages, or snacks purchased while in national and international transit and during “free time” shall also be the sole responsibility of the participant. Any lost, misplaced, or stolen items are the participant’s responsibility. Should a participant be expelled from the program or should they choose to leave the program, the cost of their return transportation home will be the responsibility of their parent(s)/guardian(s).
The Award is non-negotiable and non-transferable.
No change in travel arrangements for the program can be made by participants nor their parent(s)/guardian(s). Participants must be available to depart from their home town at a specified time on the day of departure and must return to their home town on the day of return. The Vimy Foundation will not accommodate any requests for changes in travel or itinerary nor accept visits from family and friends while in Belgium or France or in transit.
If a prize recipient decides to withdraw from the program once payments have been made for their participation (e.g.: flights, lodging, meals, transportation, etc.), parent(s)/guardian(s) must refund the Vimy Foundation for payments already made on their child’s behalf. As such, the credit card information provided will be charged to cover said costs.
Please note: The Beaverbrook Vimy Prize (BVP) is first and foremost an intensive educational program which requires full engagement and may pose potential challenges. Applicants should take into consideration that the BVP program itinerary not only includes full days of educational content, but also a great deal of walking in and around cemeteries, historical sites, and museums, including climbing steep, long staircases. The nature of the program’s content can also be a very intense emotional experience for some as the focus is on the First and Second World Wars. Please consider all of the above when applying.
To maximize health and safety conditions, participants must meet Canadian and European Union government requirements related to COVID-19 or other circumstances, as well as requirements outlined by the Vimy Foundation, in order to travel in August 2024. Such requirements may include, but are not limited to, proof of vaccination against COVID-19, mask-wearing, and COVID-19 testing.
Applicants are required to submit a research essay and a short reflection on a specified work of art, a resume, and a personal statement video. Applicants must also submit one letter of reference from: a teacher, guidance counselor or principal; a representative from a service club, community, provincial or federal organization; etc. The reference letter must be submitted on official letterhead and include contact information. References for shortlisted candidates may be contacted.
Applicants should use their own words and cite their sources when writing their essay. The Vimy Foundation reserves the right to check possible plagiarism or use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Papers suspected of plagiarism or of being generated by an AI will not be considered in the application.
If this is not the first time applying to our programs the applicant must not submit the same application elements from previous years. They should submit new elements (essay, art reflection, letter of reference, personal statement video) so that we have their most updated work.
Entries will only be accepted by online form.
Entry deadline is 11:59 PM (local time), April 16, 2024
Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 17 for the entire duration of the awarded program (August 10-20, 2024).
Odds of winning will be determined by the total number of entries received.
A jury will select the fourteen award winners from all eligible entries received by the Vimy Foundation whose decisions are final. No responsibility is assumed for delayed, lost, stolen, or misdirected entries. Contest entries are void if incomplete, not legible, or if they contain errors.
By entering this contest, the applicant agrees that any information sent to the Vimy Foundation becomes the property of the Vimy Foundation, to publish online or in print at their discretion and, should they win, the applicant’s photo may be posted and/or published.
The Award is open to all eligible students in Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, with the exception of those who are immediate family members of employees of the Vimy Foundation and The Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation. Subject to all applicable laws. Void where prohibited.
For further questions or comments regarding this prize please contact the Vimy Foundation at programs@vimyfoundation.ca or 1-438-788-1917.
Itinerary Outline:
August 10:
Depart for Brussels from the Montreal airport.
To be visited while in Europe:
- Sites in Belgium around Ypres, including The Menin Gate
- Sites in the Somme region, Northern France, including the Thiepval Memorial
- Sites around Arras, including the Canadian National Vimy Memorial
- Sites along the coast of France, including Dieppe
- Sites in Normandy, France including the Juno Beach Center, Normandy
August 20:
All participants depart for home from the Brussels airport
(A more detailed itinerary will be shared in time with the recipients)