Grad students: Join CGSP for launch of fall cohort of Opinion Piece Project on Sept. 25

If you’re a University of Toronto grad student who wants to write about social policy for a general audience, join CGSP for the launch of our fall 2026 Opinion Piece Project cohort!

The Opinion Piece Project aims to raise public awareness of, and support for, key policy directions that can improve social welfare and create a more equitable society.

To do this, we support UofT grad students in writing, editing, and submitting policy-focused op-eds for publication in a variety of media outlets. Our first cohort saw their pieces published in places like Policy Options, Canada’s National Observer, and Canadian Dimension. Students who successfully complete the process receive a $500 honorarium for their work.

We’ll soon be accepting submissions for the next round of the project. If you’re interested in participating, here’s what you need to know:

• This opportunity is open to students from all disciplines and fields of study at the Master’s or PhD level.
• We’re hosting an in-person project intro session on September 25. At the intro session, we will provide an overview of the program, which will include the policy topics your piece must focus on, information about our AI policy, and a framework for writing effective opinion pieces. To submit a piece to the project, you must first attend the intro session.
  • Session information
    • Day and time: Friday September 25 from 10am – 11am
    • Location: Sociology Dept., Room 17020 (17th floor, 700 University Avenue. Wheelchair accessible space).
  • If you need accommodation or are unable to join the session but still want to participate, let us know by emailing cgsp[at]utoronto.ca
• The deadline for submitting your opinion piece draft to us will be in late October, approximately one month after the intro session.
• We’ll choose (a maximum of) 5 submissions and work with these authors on editing and publishing their pieces.
  • The 5 selected authors will receive their honoraria once we deem their final draft to be complete.

If you have any questions, email cgsp (at) utoronto.ca.