Science, Climate Change, and Theology Prize

Calling all Advanced Degree students enrolled at TST! 

Regis College and the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology (RSM), in collaboration with a grant awarded to Professor Gerard Ryan by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as part of its Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER), are excited to invite all Advanced Degree students to participate in an eco-theology paper competition for the Fall 2024 academic term.  Students currently enrolled in the Toronto School of Theology are encouraged to submit papers that examine questions at the intersection of theology and ecology.  Papers will be evaluated by a panel of three RSM faculty members.  The top three finalists will be awarded cash prizes: 

1st Place: $250 cash 

2nd Place: $50 U of T Bookstore gift card 

3rd Place: $50 U of T Bookstore gift card 

Papers must meet the following requirements: 

  • Advances an academic argument on the subject of eco-theology 
  • Is Backed by relevant and current research (with sources cited) 
  • Is no more than 5000 words 
  • Includes participant’s NAME, COLLEGE, and DEGREE PROGRAM. 

Papers will be judged on the following criteria: 

  • Offers a unique and novel approach to a question in the field of eco-theology 
  • Is well researched 
  • Is written in clear and coherent prose 
  • Balances both theological and ecological perspectives 

Both course term papers and papers written for personal research are eligible.  AD students may submit a paper that is currently a “work in progress” for a larger research project.  All submissions must be made as PDFs to aaas.regis.competition@gmail.com by November 21, 2024 at 5 PM. 

All participants will be invited to attend an award ceremony held at Regis College (100 Wellesley St West) on December 5, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.  Finalists will be announced at this ceremony, and prizes will be awarded. 

For more information, please contact aaas.regis.competition@gmail.com


About the AAAS/ DoSER grant: 

The Climate Science in Theological Education initiative is a project of the AAAS DoSER program. The project provides grants to seminaries to engage climate science and climate change in the context of theological education and ministry. Integrating science into seminary education and events will encourage interest within seminaries and surrounding communities about the relevance of science to theological education, and will produce a growing number of religious leaders equipped to help their congregants find answers to science-related questions.  

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. The nonprofit is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. Building upon its mission, AAAS established the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program in 1995 to facilitate communication between scientific and religious communities. For the latest information and news about AAAS DoSER and the Climate Science in Theological Education project, visit AAAS.org/DoSER, ScienceReligionDialogue.org, and ScienceforSeminaries.org.