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POLICYTHON 2026
Join us in Toronto from March 4-8, 2026, for Canada's largest undergraduate policy case competition.
Welcome to Policython 2026
Policython is a multi-day policy case competition challenging undergraduate and graduate students from universities across Canada to propose policy recommendations that address pressing societal issues. The University of Toronto Policython Club (UTP) will host the sixth edition of Policython from March 4 to 8, 2026.
In-person activities will take place in downtown Toronto on March 7 and 8, 2026.
Schedule
Schedule is subject to change.
Day 1 | Wednesday, March 4, 2026
10:00 AM EST | Online
Policy Prompts Released to Competitors
Afternoon | Online
Prompt-Specific Office Hours
Day 2 | Thursday, March 5, 2026
Morning/Afternoon | Online
Prompt-Specific Office Hours
Day 3 | Friday, March 6, 2026
Morning/Afternoon | Online
Prompt-Specific Office Hours
11:59 PM EST | Online
Deadline to Submit Policy Briefs
Day 4 | Saturday, March 7, 2026
11:00 AM-12:00 PM EST | In Person
Opening Ceremony & Keynote
12:00-2:30 PM EST | In Person
Networking Reception
Day 5 | Sunday, March 8, 2026
12:00-3:30 PM EST | In Person
Judging Panels
2:30-4:30 PM EST | In Person
Participant Social
5:00-6:00 PM EST | In Person
Closing Ceremony
Our Judges and Speakers
We are deeply grateful to the distinguished leaders from academia, the public sector, the private sector, and the civic sector who are generously volunteering their time to engage with and mentor the next generation of policymakers.
Victor Aguirregabiria
Economic Policy Judge
Professor, Dept. of Economics, University of Toronto
Ricardo Chejfec
Economic Policy Judge
Research Director, Institute for Research on Public Policy
Sara Dolatshahi
Environmental Policy Judge
Director of Strategic Projects, Nuclear Waste Management Organization
Laura Garcia-Montoya
Foreign Policy Judge
Assistant Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Arnd Jurgensen
Environmental Policy Judge
Lecturer, University of Toronto Mississauga / Chair, Science for Peace
Sana Maqbool
Economic Policy Judge
Manager, Policy Research, MaRS Discovery District
Nav Persaud
Human Rights Policy Judge
Staff Physician, St. Michael's Hospital / Professor, Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun
Keynote Speaker
Director, Undergraduate Programs and Student Experience & Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Chris Simpson
Human Rights Policy Judge
Executive Vice President, Acute and Hospital-Based Care & Chief Medical Executive, Ontario Health
Vicky Stergiopoulos
Human Rights Policy Judge
Clinician Scientist, CAMH / Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Tina Sweeney
Foreign Policy Judge
Manager, Public Engagement and Alumni Strategy, Cuso International / Member-at-Large, Canadian International Council
transitions
This year’s theme, Transitions, invites us to confront the moments of change unfolding across our societies. Core systems—such as energy, democratic governance, and economic infrastructure–stand at critical junctures. Policython 2026 challenges you to imagine what comes next:
What do societal transitions look like, and how can they help us reimagine our future?
Policy Streams
Teams will compete in one of four policy streams. Prompts and judging panels will be specific to each policy stream. For Policython 2026, we are offering the following streams:
Economic Policy
Environmental Policy
Foreign Policy
Human Rights Policy
Past Participation
Policython has grown every year. In 2026, we are expecting 130-150 participants.
Since we opened up Policython to students from any post-secondary institutions in 2023, we have had registrants from six universities, including:
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University of Toronto
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Toronto Metropolitan University
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McMaster University
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York University
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Carleton University
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Western University