Graduating Awards and Honours

Convocation awards are prestigious awards presented to graduating students. These awards reflect the highest academic distinction earned by a student in a faculty or program. Many are presented at the convocation ceremonies in June and November.


Convocation medals

  • Awarded to students graduating from undergraduate programs.
  • Medals, based entirely on academic standing, are awarded at the conclusion of the winter term.
  • Students who graduated at the previous fall convocation are considered for convocation medals on the same basis as students who graduate at spring convocation.
  • Each faculty determines their definition of distinction and guidelines for selection of medal recipients, with consideration to the following criteria: grade point average, course load and the minimum number of UCalgary courses taken.
  • Recipients for the Governor General's Silver Medals and the Muriel Kovitz Prize are chosen by the University of Calgary Registrar's Office.

Gold medals

There is one gold medal awarded by each faculty to the student graduating with the highest distinction in the faculty.

Silver medallions

There is one silver medallion awarded by each department or equivalent unit to the student graduating with the highest distinction.

The President's Award for Excellence in Student Leadership

Presented to graduating students (undergraduate or graduate) who, during their years at the university, have combined excellent academic achievement with outstanding extracurricular contributions to the university.

For details on all awards for graduating students, see the University Calendar.


Kristian Janovcik

Muriel Kovitz Prize Winner 2021

Kristian Janovcik

Kristian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He helped investigate curcumin biosynthesis pathways in yeast and assisted in refining a modular yeast genetic engineering platform. He also served as VP of Right to Play UCalgary, a non-profit dedicated to using sport and play as a vehicle to empower children facing war, poverty, and disease. Outside of the university, Kristian has a passion for international culture, having travelled to over 50 countries and 6 continents. Kristian is set to depart to Japan as a JET Programme ambassador this fall to help facilitate grassroots cultural exchange between Canada and Japan.

The Muriel Kovitz Prize is awarded annually to a graduating student from any undergraduate faculty with the highest overall GPA in their final year at the University of Calgary. Learn more.