.png)
4 hours ago
1
Think like an enemy. Disrupt like an innovator. Write like the future depends on it. This contest is a launchpad for game-changing ideas, arming military leaders with bold, mind-bending insights they won’t find in any report. The battlefield of the future starts here!
The challenge
How can the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) deploy, sustain, deter, fight and win, against a diverse range of highly capable adversaries, while leveraging emerging and disruptive technologies across multiple domains in the future operational environment of 2040-2045?
The DND/CAF is seeking visionary essays in hard science fiction that explore how emerging technologies can empower military forces to defend Canada’s sovereignty and national interests in the Arctic. Writers are encouraged to create imaginative, plausible scenarios that demonstrate how advanced innovations will safeguard Canadian interests and ensure military readiness, while considering the human and strategic impacts of military operations in this challenging and rapidly changing environment
What IDEaS provides
IDEaS provides recognition, inspiration, and opportunity for visionary thinkers to help shape the future of Canada’s defence and security. Through this contest, IDEaS celebrates creativity and bold ideas that can influence future military capabilities and technological priorities.
Prizes will be awarded to the top 10 essay submissions, celebrating originality, clarity, and visionary thought that challenge conventional perspectives on defence and technology. Winning entries will be recognized for their excellence in writing, imagination, and critical insight.
In addition to the top awards, special prize categories will recognize outstanding contributions from students, Indigenous writers, women and gender-diverse writers, and federal employee writers, ensuring a wide range of voices help imagine the future of Canadian defence.
What innovators bring
This contest isn’t just about storytelling, it’s about shaping the future of Canada’s defence and security. The narratives created here will challenge military decision-makers to rethink threats, strategies, and innovation in ways they never imagined.
We’re looking for visionaries, innovators and bold thinkers who can turn imagination into insight. Through hard science fiction, participants will explore how emerging technologies could transform the DND/CAF of tomorrow, from strategy and logistics to operations in extreme environments like the Arctic.
Your story could do more than inspire, it could influence real-world science and technology priorities and help guide the future direction of the IDEaS program, which supports Canadian innovators solving defence and security challenges.
The future starts with your ideas.
Contest Prizes
- 1st Place: $10,000
- 2nd Place: $7,500
- 3rd Place: $5,000
- 4th to 10th Place: $2,500 each
- Student Writer Prize: $3,000
- Indigenous Writer Prize: $3,000
- Women and Gender-Diverse Writer Prize: $3,000
- Federal Employee Recognition: Top submission from a federal employee may be considered for publication on the IDEaS website. No monetary prize is available
Scenario
Intelligence has indicated that an adversary nation has recently felt emboldened to stake a physical claim within the Canadian Arctic and enforce it militarily. Canada has responded through multiple avenues to dissuade any territorial incursion. However, these efforts have all failed and Canada stands alone in attempting to protect its sovereign territory. It has established a floating base between Ellesmere and Devon Islands in the eastern portion of the Canadian Arctic. Reports have indicated that the adversarial nation is currently outside of Canada’s territorial claim, and they are posed to move forward and claim Arctic lands in the name of their government.
For a full overview of the scenario, consult the applicant guide.How to apply
To participate, request the applicant guide and submission package by emailing the IDEaS team at [email protected]. The package includes the official applicant form, which must be used for your essay submission.
Essays submitted in any other format will not be accepted. Applicants are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of their submission and should carefully review the applicant guide, which includes the full challenge statement, before submitting.
Applicant guide
All information about the contest, including the essay structure, considerations, and scenario can be found in the applicant guide.
To receive a copy of the applicant guide, and for any questions, email the contests team: [email protected].
Eligibility
The applicant must be an individual or legal entity duly incorporated and validly existing in Canada, including:
- Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
- Canadian universities and educational institutions chartered in Canada.
- Incorporated Canadian not-for-profit organizations or associations.
- Incorporated Canadian for-profit companies, organizations, or associations.
- Canadian provincial/territorial, or municipal government organizations.
Note on Federal/Crown Corporations
Federal departments and provincial Crown Corporations are not eligible to receive prizes.
Employees of federal or Crown Corporations may submit an essay for consideration, but their submissions will not be eligible for prizes.
Deadline
The deadline to submit essays is January 16, 2026, 12:00 pm ET or earlier if the 300-entry limit is reached. This contest is a pilot for future initiatives, and a maximum of 50 submissions from federal employees will be accepted. Once that federal cap is reached, no further federal entries will be considered, and the website will be updated accordingly.
