OSSTF Student Achievement Awards
Please encourage your students to enter the OSSTF Student Achievement Awards contest! There are prizes to be won at the district and provincial levels, including top prizes of $1000 for the provincial winners of each category.
The OSSTF Student Achievement Awards program is an annual creative writing and arts competition which is open to all public secondary school students in Ontario. The competition is meant to encourage the intellectual development of our students and an interest in society. The 1984 Provincial Assembly established the awards in honour of Marion Drysdale, who was a secretary at OSSTF’s provincial office for 22 years, for her dedicated work and commitment to public education.
The 2026 theme is “Together is Greater than One,” which is based on the Aristotle quote “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
OSSTF invites student writers and artists to submit creative work(s) exploring this year’s theme, with the support of an OSSTF member who has worked with that student. The Student Achievement Awards celebrate the work between OSSTF members (teachers and education workers) and their students; therefore, working with either a supporting teacher or education worker is an integral part of the contest. Students must submit a letter from their supporting staff member along with their entry form.
Information packages have been sent out to secondary schools (from OSSTF provincial office via Canada Post), but details can also be found on the OSSTF website at www.osstf.on.ca/studentachievementawards – including flyers, posters, guidelines, entry forms, and templates for morning announcements.
The categories include:
The OSSTF Student Achievement Awards program is an annual creative writing and arts competition which is open to all public secondary school students in Ontario. The competition is meant to encourage the intellectual development of our students and an interest in society. The 1984 Provincial Assembly established the awards in honour of Marion Drysdale, who was a secretary at OSSTF’s provincial office for 22 years, for her dedicated work and commitment to public education.
The 2026 theme is “Together is Greater than One,” which is based on the Aristotle quote “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
OSSTF invites student writers and artists to submit creative work(s) exploring this year’s theme, with the support of an OSSTF member who has worked with that student. The Student Achievement Awards celebrate the work between OSSTF members (teachers and education workers) and their students; therefore, working with either a supporting teacher or education worker is an integral part of the contest. Students must submit a letter from their supporting staff member along with their entry form.
Information packages have been sent out to secondary schools (from OSSTF provincial office via Canada Post), but details can also be found on the OSSTF website at www.osstf.on.ca/studentachievementawards – including flyers, posters, guidelines, entry forms, and templates for morning announcements.
The categories include:
Students’ entries are judged at the school, district, and provincial level. Provincial winners in each category will be awarded $1000 each, and will be invited to OSSTF’s Annual Meeting of the Provincial Assembly (AMPA) in March, where a video showcasing their work will be screened.
When judging entries at the school level, the selection committee must reflect the diversity of job classes in the federation, and therefore must involve OSSTF members from as many bargaining units as possible -- Education Support Professionals, Office Professionals and Technicians, Professional Student Services Personnel, and secondary Teachers, both permanent and occasional.
IMPORTANT DATES:
NEW: Please keep all physical visual submissions within the size guidelines of 61cm x 92 cm x 5cm. If your visual submission exceeds size guidelines, you can film a short video, detailing the important aspects of your submission, load it onto a USB or YouTube and send it with your entry form. Any USBs submitted will not be returned, so please back up your work and keep a copy for your own records.
District 7 OSSTF members who have questions about the Student Achievement Awards should contact the District Educational Services Officer, Penny Huettlin, at [email protected] .
When judging entries at the school level, the selection committee must reflect the diversity of job classes in the federation, and therefore must involve OSSTF members from as many bargaining units as possible -- Education Support Professionals, Office Professionals and Technicians, Professional Student Services Personnel, and secondary Teachers, both permanent and occasional.
IMPORTANT DATES:
- The SCHOOL deadline is in early November. Students must submit their entries to an OSSTF member at their school. OSSTF members at each Bluewater school must work together to choose a winner in each category and forward those winners to the OSSTF District Office in Chesley before November 19.
- The DISTRICT deadline is November 19, 2025. The District 7 Educational Services Committee will meet to choose a district winner in each category and forward those winners to OSSTF Provincial Office before the provincial deadline in December.
NEW: Please keep all physical visual submissions within the size guidelines of 61cm x 92 cm x 5cm. If your visual submission exceeds size guidelines, you can film a short video, detailing the important aspects of your submission, load it onto a USB or YouTube and send it with your entry form. Any USBs submitted will not be returned, so please back up your work and keep a copy for your own records.
District 7 OSSTF members who have questions about the Student Achievement Awards should contact the District Educational Services Officer, Penny Huettlin, at [email protected] .
