What Awards, Scholarships, and Travel Grants Does CSSS Offer?

The Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS) offers at least three named funding programs for students and researchers: the Karl C. Ivarson Soil Science Scholarship, the CSSS Pedology Travel Award, and the CSSS-CJSS Travel Award for International Soil Science Meetings. The CSSS homepage also runs a separate Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS) photo competition with a cash prize. Details below reflect what the CSSS website currently shows; for application deadlines, eligibility rules, and forms, follow the "Click here for details" links on the relevant announcement.

Karl C. Ivarson Soil Science Scholarship

This is a scholarship awarded to a student in soil science. The CSSS homepage names the 2026 recipient — Breanna Barrett (University of Saskatchewan) — which confirms the award is active and granted on an annual cycle.

What the site evidence supports:

• It is a scholarship (not a travel grant), aimed at students.
• Recipients are publicly announced on the CSSS homepage.
• The 2026 award went to a University of Saskatchewan student.

What it does not state on the homepage: the exact dollar amount, the number of awards per year, or the application window. Those would be in the linked details page.

CSSS Pedology Travel Award

A travel award supporting pedology-related activity. The 2026 recipients listed are:

• Dr. Grace Gowera (University of Saskatchewan)
• Dr. Nastaran Chalabianlou Vayjoyeh (University of Guelph)
• Dr. Olatunbosun Ayetan (University of Guelph)

This shows the award can go to multiple recipients in one year and has recently gone to doctoral-level researchers at Canadian universities.

CSSS-CJSS Travel Award for International Soil Science Meetings

This award is tied to the Canadian Journal of Soil Science and is specifically for attending international soil science meetings. The 2026 recipients are:

• Alessia Marchesan (University of Alberta)
• Dr. Gbenga Daniel Adejumo (University of Saskatchewan)
• Rimsha Khan (Dalhousie University)

If your goal is to present at an international conference, this is the CSSS program named for that purpose.

CJSS Photo Competition (Cash Prize)

Separate from the awards above, CSSS runs an annual photo competition for the cover of the Canadian Journal of Soil Science:

• The selected photo receives a $250 cash prize.
• The winning image appears on the CJSS cover for all four issues of that year and on the CSSS website.
• Submissions are due no later than October 1.

This is open to photographers submitting soil science imagery, not restricted to students.

Quick Comparison

How to Get the Actual Application Details

The homepage only announces winners and links out. To apply or check eligibility:

1. Go to csss.ca.
2. Find the announcement for the specific award you want (scholarship or travel award).
3. Click the "Click here for details" link in that announcement — this leads to the criteria, deadlines, and submission instructions.
4. For the photo competition, use the CJSS photo competition link and submit before October 1.

CSSS also maintains a 2026 online member registration portal, and membership is typically relevant to award eligibility and society communications. Check the membership page if an award requires you to be a current member.

Common Pitfalls

• Assuming one deadline fits all. The only deadline stated on the homepage is October 1 for the photo competition. Scholarship and travel award deadlines are not shown there — do not assume they match.
• Confusing the awards. The Ivarson award is a scholarship; the Pedology and CSSS-CJSS awards are travel grants. Applying to the wrong one wastes time.
• Missing the member requirement. Many society awards require current membership. Renew or join through the 2026 registration link before applying.

For anything not stated here — amounts, eligibility, exact dates — the linked details pages on csss.ca are the authoritative source.