History awards and funding

Undergraduate awards and prizes

All eligible students are automatically considered for these awards, which reward a wide range of academic achievements.

Bancroft Book Prize: Awarded for best course work and examinations in History of Britain, 1485 to the Present (currently HIST 2210).
 
Charles Bell Award: Awarded to the student who has achieved the highest overall standing in HIST 1440 History of Canada. 
 
Lillilan Bellan Memorial Prize: Awarded to the student who achieves the highest standing in the course Women in History (currently numbered HIST 3576). 
 
James H. Gray Medal in Prairie History: For highest standing in courses in Prairie History or Western Canadian History (if Prairie History wasn’t offered) in completing with high standing the requirements for a History BA or MA.
 
Interdisciplinary Approach to History Award: Open to major, honours or graduate student taking history courses; projects to be submitted by the middle of April.
 

Kleiforth Prize in American History: For highest standing by a full time student in HIST 2230, the American Survey.
 
Tony T.K. Lau Prize: For highest standing in a course with significant coverage of the history of China. 
 
Manitoba Diamond Jubilee Scholarship: For highest standing in HIST 1440, the Canadian Survey, by a full time Arts student. 
 
The Betty Meltzer Memorial Prize in History: For highest standing in the written examinations in any first year history course, except HIST 1440, by a full time first year Arts student. 
 
Senator Gildas Molgat Memorial Scholarships: Two scholarships to students entering the fourth year of the major or honours program with enrolment in at least one Canadian History course. 
 
J. Edgar Rea Prize in History: Prize will be offered to a full-time student in any Faculty or School at UM who has achieved the highest grade in the course History of Winnipeg (currently numbered HIST 3800). If HIST 3800 is not taught during an academic year, prize will be offered in Modern Canada (currently numbered HIST 2286).
 
Leonard Remis Award: Awarded to a student graduating with a major or honours degree in history on the basis of academic achievements, specifically Canadian History courses (minimum 3.5 grade point average). 

The Lord Selkirk Association of Rupert's Land Memorial Scholarship: Two scholarships, one to a student in second year history honours, proceeding to third year, and one to a student in third year history honours proceeding to fourth year.
 
The Robert Sirluck Scholarship in Canadian History: For highest standing in two 3000-level history courses by third year honours student who will next year study Canadian history. 
 
W.D. Smith History Essay Prize: Awarded to a student for an original essay (not revised) in any of the undergraduate courses in history, levels 1000 to 3000 inclusive. 
 
Wasyl Swystun Prize in History of Ukrainians in Canada: For the highest standing in the course The Ukrainians in Canada (currently numbered HIST 3910).

Undergraduate bursaries

Visit the UM bursaries webpage to review application deadline dates, eligibility and instructions. To be eligible for bursaries, students must file a UM general bursary application through their Aurora student account.

Muriel Andrews Bursary: Awarded to a history major student with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and demonstrated financial need. 

Ed and Evelyn Bell Bursary: Awarded to a history major student proceeding to Arts III, IV or pre-Master's with at least one course in Canadian History.

Jill E. Mayer Bursary: Awarded to student in at least their 2nd year as a history major with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and demonstrated financial need.

Senator Gildas Molgat Memorial Bursaries: Two bursaries to students enrolled full-time in the third or fourth year of a major or honours and enrolled in at least two Canadian history courses.

Awards and funding - Available ONLY to UM History PhD Students and/or UM/UW History JMP Students

There is no separate application process for departmental scholarships. All students who are successfully accepted and are registered in one of our history programs are automatically considered for the scholarships below. 

The Winnipeg Foundation Centenary Fellowship for PhD Study in Canadian or Indigenous History

Amount: maximum $100,000 over 3 years
Awarded once every three years to a first year history PhD student who has a minimum GPA of 3.75 (in their last 60 credit hours of study) and their proposed coursework will be focused on Canadian or Canadian Indigenous history. The award is renewable for two subsequent years provided the recipient remains a full-time student in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and continues to meet the other criterion.

The Winnipeg Foundation Fellowship for Master Studies in Canadian History

Amount: $17,500
Three fellowships are offered each year to full-time students in the first year of the Joint Master's Program who have a minimum GPA of 3.75 (in their last 60 credit hours of study) and whose proposed master's coursework or research will be focused on Canadian history or Canadian Indigenous history.

The Winnipeg Foundation Indigenous Archivist Scholarship

Amount: $17,500
Provides support to an Indigenous student who is conducting research in Canadian history of Canadian Indigenous history. The recipient will be in the first or second year of the JMP Program (archival studies stream) with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study). This award may be renewed once.

Drummond Fellowship

Amount: $13,000 (approximately)
Awarded to an outstanding student entering full-time study in a PhD program at UM in either the departments of English or History. The student's field must, in the judgment of the Committee of Selection, be related to the field of Canadian Studies.

Dr. James Burns Awards in History 

Amount: $20,000 (Doctoral) $14,000 (JMP)
Through a generous gift from Dr. James Burns, and a contribution from the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative, an endowment fund was established in 2002, the 125th anniversary year of the university. Four scholarships have been established. For the PhD program: an entrance scholarship of $20,000 will be awarded annually; and a scholarship of $8,000 for PhD candidates in year 4 of their program. Both scholarships are open to all fields. For the joint-master's program: one entrance scholarships of $14,000; and one entrance scholarship of $8,000 will be offered annually, open to students in all fields.

The Winnipeg Foundation Martha Donovan History Award

Amount: $8,500
Awarded to a full-time Joint Master's Program student, in the second year of the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study) whose research focus is the history of medicine or public health.

Asper-Paterson Master's in History Human Rights and Social Justice Scholarship

Amount: $7,500
Awarded to a full-time Joint Master’s Program student, in their first or second year of the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study) who is conducting research related to human rights and social justice history.

The Winnipeg Foundation Elizabeth Alloway History Scholarship

Amount: $7,000
Awarded to a full-time Joint Master's Program student, in their second year of the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study) whose research focuses on the role of women in Canadian history.

The Winnipeg Foundation Black History in Canada Scholarship

Amount: $7,000
This award supports a student in the first or second year of the JMP program, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study), conducting research in the area of Black History in Canada. Preference will be given to students in their second year of study. 

The Winnipeg Foundation Indigenous History Award

Amount: $7,000
Awarded to a full-time Joint Master's Program student, in the second year of the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 ch of study) whose research focus is in the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Moffat Family Scholarship in Canadian Social History

Amount: $7,000
Support for a student enrolled in the second year of study in the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study) whose research focus is the social history of Canada.

W.L. Morton Manitoba History Scholarship

Amount: $7,000
Support for a student who is a Manitoba high school graduate, is enrolled in the first or second year of the JMP, has a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study), and who is conducting research into the history of Manitoba.

James Richardson & Sons, Ltd. Scholarship on Business History

Amount: $7,000
Support for a student enrolled in the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study), who is conducting research related to the impact of business on Canadian society.

The Barry Foundation Scholarship on the History of Canadian-American Relations

Amount: $6,000
Support for a student enrolled in the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study), who is conducting research on some aspect of how Canada and the U.S.A. have successfully managed their neighbourly relationship for so many decades. Students can hold the award more than once.

Richard L. Frost Scholarship on the History of Philanthropy

Amount: $6,000
Support for a student enrolled in the JMP, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (in their last 60 credit hours of study), who is conducting research on how the wellbeing of local communities or Canadian society in general has been advanced by generous individuals, specific charitable agencies or social movements within the broadly defined voluntary sector. Students can hold the award more than once.

The Winnipeg Foundation Friends of Our History Scholarship

Amount: $3,000
Five scholarships will be awarded each year to students who are: enrolled in the first or second year of the JMP, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (based on their last 60 credit hours of study) and who are conducting historical research with current relevance to Winnipeg and Manitoba. 
 

Awards requiring a separate application

D.F. Plett History Graduate Fellowship 

Amount: $15,000 (Master’s) $20,000 (Doctoral)
This award was created to commemorate the contribution of Delbert F. Plett, Q.C. to the story of the Low German Mennonites in Canada and the Americas. This fellowship is open to students in the UM/UW JMP or the UM PhD in history. It is intended to encourage graduate students who are pursuing studies and research in the history of the forerunners and descendants of the 1870s Mennonite migrants to Manitoba. The thesis or dissertation must be supervised by one of the co-directors of the Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies at the University of Winnipeg. A maximum of two fellowships are held at any given time. PhD Fellowships may be renewed once. 

Application deadline: February 15

More information and the application form
 

Bursaries for JMP/PhD students

Visit the UM bursaries webpage to review application deadline dates, eligibility and instructions. To be eligible for bursaries, students must file a UM general bursary application through their Aurora Student account.

J. Edgar Rea Memorial Bursary

Amount: approx. $750
Offered to a full-time student who: is enrolled in the Master's or the Pre-Master's program in history; has achieved a sessional GPA of at least 3.25 in the academic session preceding the session in which the bursary is awarded; and has demonstrated financial need on the standard UM bursary form. Preference will be given to applicants pursuing studies in Canadian History. A recipient may hold this bursary a maximum of two times.

Hew Graduate Bursary

Amount: $500
Offered to a full-time graduate student who: is enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program in the Department of History at UM;  has achieved a minimum degree GPA of 3.0;  has demonstrated financial need on the standard UM bursary application form.

Research Travel Funding

Dr. James Burns Awards in History Graduate Student Research Assistance Fund

Amount: Up to $500 per competition

This award offers financial support each year for graduate student travel to archives and to help cover exceptional research costs. Examples of such costs might include the microfilming or photocopying of archives crucial to the research project, or permission fees to obtain photographs or other images. Preference will be given to full-time graduate students in good standing and enrolled full-time in a Master’s or PhD program in the Department of History. The distribution of funds for student travel and top-up matching will be left to the discretion of the selection committee.

There will be two competitions each year. The deadlines for receipt of applications are: October 30, March 31.

For information on how to apply, contact the Graduate Program Assistant, Department of History, 403 Fletcher Argue Building.