Call for Applications: Migration Narratives Challenge
Application Deadline: May 5, 2025
The Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration (CERC Migration) at Toronto Metropolitan University is pleased to launch the Migration Narratives Challenge, an exciting digital storytelling competition. Creative students from across Canada are invited to collaborate with leading migration researchers and work with them to transform their complex migration research into compelling digital stories.
Are you a student passionate about storytelling, media, and research communication? Apply now for a chance to develop your skills, build your portfolio, and contribute to impactful knowledge mobilization!
Why Apply?
- Gain Hands-On Experience – Work directly with leading migration researchers to translate their findings into accessible, engaging digital content.
- Expand Your Portfolio – Create professional, research-based digital stories that showcase your skills to future employers.
- Mentorship and Exposure – Receive funding, mentorship, and the opportunity to present your work at a premiere event.
What You'll Create
Each selected student will work with a CERC Migration researcher to produce:
- A creative brief that outlines strategic direction and tactics, demonstrating understanding of goals and audiences.
- A 2–3-minute video explaining key research findings in an engaging format
- A second digital storytelling piece, which could be any of the following: Scrollytelling piece, Instagram Reel, YouTube Short, infographic, TikTok video, LinkedIn or Instagram Carousel post, Highlight Reel for our websites, Quiz or Polls for our Instagram, Quote Graphics, memes, or other concise and engaging forms. We welcome creativity and thinking outside the box.
This competition is open to university and college students across Canada. You must have experience or a strong interest in digital storytelling, media production, or research communication.
Selected participants will be asked to commit to a minimum of 10 hours per month from May 2025 – January 2026.
Please note that you will need access to your own equipment (computer, phone, camera, editing software, etc.) as part of this work. Where possible, the CERC Migration team can support you with suggestions for equipment rentals.
- $1,000 CAD stipend for each selected student.
- Additional cash prizes for the top 3 projects:
- 1st place: $2,500
- 2nd place: $1,500
- 3rd place: $750
The top three finalists will be required to present their work at a premiere event in Toronto in May 2026. Costs will be paid for by CERC Migration.
Students will be paired with CERC Migration researchers working on cutting-edge migration topics.
- Beyond the Metropolis
- Complex Migration Flows and Multiple Drivers in Comparative Perspective (MEMO)
- Framing “us” and “them” in Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States
- Highly skilled migrants in global cities: Exploring complex pathways, motivations and experiences (SKIM)
- Improving international student success: Examining college policies and strategies for recruitment and employment support in Ontario and British Columbia
- International students’ lived experiences in Canada (ISX)
- Leveraging Community-Arts for Immigrant Integration
- Link4Skills
- Migration bans on women migrant domestic workers in Ghana
- Social Media and Public Discourse on Immigration
- The role of families in migration decision making of international students in Canada (DemiKnow)
- Trajectories of French Students in Canada
- Understanding cultural and identity narratives in the age of advanced digital technologies
Application Deadline: May 5, 2025
To apply, submit the following via our online application form:
- A short motivation letter outlining your top 3 preferred projects and how you plan to approach them. Note: Your top 3 selected projects will be chosen from the list of projects in the Researcher Projects tab above. No other research project at CERC Migration may be partnered with outside of this list.
- A short CV (max 2 pages) highlighting relevant skills and experience.
- One example of previous creative work (video, design, animation, or other digital storytelling projects).
- You will be asked to identify your top three research project choices that you would like to work on.
- May 5, 2025: Application deadline
- June 2025: Kick off event (hybrid)
- October 1, 2025: Creative brief due
- December 2025: First drafts due
- January 2026: Final submissions due
- February 2026: Judging and awards
- May 13 – 15, 2026: Final presentations in Toronto
For more information, please contact Zoya Islam, Manager of Marketing & Communications, CERC Migration at zoya.islam@torontomu.ca
