Egg Farmers of Canada announced the winners of its inaugural Student Innovation Challenge. The initiative saw post-secondary students from across the country pitch their innovative research ideas and creative solutions to help shape the future of Canada’s egg sector.

“We were thrilled to see the students’ creativity and enthusiasm for tackling the challenges and opportunities at hand for egg farmers,” said Roger Pelissero, chair of Egg Farmers of Canada. “It is these ideas and the pursuit of evidence-based research that will help drive innovation in our sector. From supporting farmers as they embrace new farming practices and technology, to reinforcing the important role of eggs in our diets and discovering novel ways to uses of eggs—the possibilities are endless.”

With the aim of highlighting how bright ideas can help egg farmers achieve their goals, students were invited to submit videos that answered the question: What is your research project that can shape the future of the egg industry in Canada? Dozens of inspiring students responded to the call and shared their fresh ideas.

The winners were selected by a jury comprised of academics and egg industry representatives and were announced at an Egg Farmers of Canada meeting on March 27, 2024. Mariève Dallaire-Lamontagne from Université Laval and Ravneet Kaur from University of Alberta tied for first place, with Violet Hipkin from the University of Guelph receiving the third-place award.

“We congratulate all participants for taking part in our Student Innovation challenge,” added Drew Black, CEO of Egg Farmers of Canada. “We welcomed the opportunity to engage with many inspiring students and showcase their role in contributing positively to the future of our growing sector.”

The Student Innovation Challenge is the latest addition to Egg Farmers of Canada’s research program, which includes a Research Grant Program, a cross-disciplinary Research Chairs Network and a number of complementary research partnerships.