The Fraser Institute hosts an annual Student Essay Contest to promote student participation in economic discourse on current events and public policy. This contest affords winning students the opportunity to have their work peer-reviewed and published early on in their academic career. In addition, we offer exciting cash prizes for the top five winning submissions!
Join the conversation, showcase your ideas on public policy, and enter our essay contest for the chance to win the grand cash prize!
2026 Student Essay Contest - What would the Essential Scholars say about Canadian economic prosperity today?”
With previous years of inflation and economic uncertainty, the topic of Canadian economic prosperity continues to be a daily conversation. Issues of Canada’s economic standing compared to other OECD countries, looming trade disputes, monetary policy and continuous reports of the economy being stuck reveal the obstacles faced in pursuing economic prosperity.
Consider what insights our Essential Scholars series offer on fostering policies that support Canadian economic prosperity? Relying on the ideas of one of our Essential Scholars, construct an essay that describes a scholar’s response, explanation, or rebuttal to a policy on Canadian economic prosperity. You can use a scholar’s economic theory to examine a current economic policy, propose potential policies that a scholar would have put forward, or suggest how certain existing policies would have been adapted by a particular Essential Scholar.
Example topics to explore in your essay:
- Canada’s Trade Policies
- Canada’s Natural Resources
- Division of Labour
- Government Debt
- Interest Rates
- Entrepreneurialism in Canada
Scholarship Value: $1,500
Awards Available: 15
Award Deadline: Register to View