The Centre for Feminist Legal Studies (CFLS) is proud and fortunate to be able to offer awards and scholarships designated for students who are entering or studying at the Peter A. Allard School of Law.
For a full list of scholarships, prizes and bursaries offered by the Peter A. Allard School of Law please visit the student resources page or contact awards@allard.ubc.ca.
The list below is an outline of the awards offered by the CFLS, a list of recent winners, and a list of other faculty and university awards designated for woman students.
Awards Offered by the CFLS
Graduate Student Speaker Competition
Calling graduate students interested in presenting in the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies Speaker Series lecture in March 2026 - the CFLS is considering proposals until February 2nd, 2026!
Proposals should include a CV, a 500-700 word abstract with a title (no paper is needed), short bio, and contact info. Current graduate students attending any Canadian university may apply. Current graduate students from abroad working on Canadian issues will also be considered. The selection committee will invite one graduate student to present their research on a date in March 2026 to be mutually agreed upon with the speaker. We are interested in hearing from graduate students working on any topic related to feminist legal theory, gender inequality, law and injustice.
The selected speaker will present for 45 minutes, followed by a short Q&A discussion. The lecture may be delivered via Zoom or in-person. Some financial support for travel will be available.
Deadline: Please send your proposal to CFLS Director, Dr. Régine Tremblay, at cfls@allard.ubc.ca by February 2nd, 2026.
CFLS Travel and Research Dissemination Fund
The Centre for Feminist Legal Studies (CFLS) at UBC is pleased to offer up to $1,000 in funds to support students attending conferences and academic events. Work presented at these events must align with the mission of the CFLS, and engage with feminism and the law.
- Selected applicants will receive a maximum of $500 each;
- Selected applicants will need to keep their receipts and prove their expenses in line with the financial procedures in place at the Allard School of Law;
- The conference or event should take place within six (6) months following the application deadline, which is on February 13, 2026;
- Selected applicants need to demonstrate that they have been accepted for the conference or event;
- Selected applicants need to have an active participation in the activity (no funds for mere attendance, you need to present your work).
Deadline: February 13, 2026 at 5:00 P.M. PST.
Eligibility:
- Being enrolled in JD, LLM or PhD programs at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the time of application;
- The topic of your participation needs to align with the CFLS's mission and engage with feminism and the law.
Application:
Please submit the following documents in a single PDF file entitled LASTNAME_CFLS travel.pdf
- Your CV;
- Name of the event, date of the event and proof of acceptance;
- Statement on how the work you will present connects to the CFLS's mission, how it engages with feminism and the law, and how attending the event will support you in your goals (maximum 500 words);
- A short list of the expenses that you will be incurring.
Adjudication:
Absent any conflict of interests, the Steering Committee of the CFLS will adjudicate this competition internally.
Awards Adjudicated by the CFLS
Hilda Janzen Memorial Award in Feminist Legal Studies
In honor of the late Hilda Janzen and her commitment to the advancement of women in professional fields, an award of $18,000 annually will cover the current costs of tuition and books for the recipient, as well as offset living costs for the year. This award is granted to a female or male or student in good academic standing who has demonstrated leadership and community involvement in feminist and/or feminist legal issues, and faces challenges, financial or systemic, in accessing or continuing legal education.
Donor Sonya Wall was inspired to establish the award by the commitment shown by her aunt, the late Hilda Janzen, to the advancement of women in professional fields, and by the costs and other barriers students face in pursuing a legal education.
Susan Boyd, Professor Emerita of Law, former Chair in Feminist Legal Studies and former Director of the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies says that "this amazing new award recognizes two important facts: first, that there is an ongoing need for lawyering inspired by a feminist ethic and, second, that many students who are committed to bringing their feminist approach to law encounter barriers in the course of obtaining a law degree. Sonya's generosity ensures that the law school community will be enriched by the presence of feminist students and that their expertise will promote social justice in years to come."
The Faculty is grateful for this inspired gift and welcomes Ms. Wall to the group of generous alumni and friends who support the education of students at the Allard School of Law.
Submission: Applications for this award should be submitted through the Continuing Student Awards 2025/2026 application. Questions about this award should be directed to Kuhu Gupta at awards@allard.ubc.ca.
Auriol Gurner Young Memorial Award
The Auriol Gurner Young Memorial Award in Law is generously endowed in memory of Auriol Gurner Young for students in the J.D. Program who have made significant contributions to feminism and the law, for instance through academic achievement, volunteer work, community activism, or work with a feminist organization.
This generous $3000 award honours the memory of Auriol Gurner Young, who died in 2005 after a lengthy and determined struggle with cancer. She was a remarkable woman with a lifelong love of learning and a great intellectual curiosity. In her 50's, Auriol started her university education, graduating with first class honours in 1983. She loved life, people and ideas.
APPLY NOW: Nominations or applications for the award must be submitted via email to awards@allard.ubc.ca. Please provide a letter explaining the candidate's contributions to feminism and law and attach the candidate's resume. Applicants for the Hilda Janzen Memorial Award who are current J.D. students will automatically be considered for this award.
Deadline: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Marlee G. Kline Essay Prize
The Centre for Feminist Legal Studies will award a $250 prize to the best essay written by a J.D. student and a $250 prize to the best essay written by a graduate student attending the Peter A. Allard School of Law during the 2024-2025 academic year, addressing the themes identified in the above quotation in relation to a topic dealing with law or legal regulation.
The prize is offered in the name of Marlee Kline, a feminist professor at the Allard School of Law who died in November 2001 after a lengthy and determined struggle with leukemia.
Her work on feminist legal theory and critical race theory, child welfare law and policy, law’s continued colonialism, and restructuring of the social welfare state is internationally acclaimed.
The essay should be written for a UBC course, seminar, or directed research project and must incorporate feminist research and analysis.
Length: The essay shall be between 4,000 and 10,000 words, and shall be typewritten and double-spaced, using 12-point font.
Selection: The submissions will be reviewed by a committee of feminist law professors.
Submission: Students should send essay submissions to the Marlee Kline Essay Prize Committee, via email to awards@allard.ubc.ca by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Deadline: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Previous winners
Access to a list of previous winners is available for the following:
Other Faculty & University Awards
Faculty Women's Club Anne Wesbrook Scholarship
A scholarship of $2,000, adjudicated by the Faculty Women's Club, was established in 1919 to honour Anne Wesbrook, the wife of the first President of UBC, and a founding member and Honorary President of the Club until her death in 1957. It is awarded to a woman student who has obtained a baccalaureate degree from this university and is continuing her studies at graduate level or in the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry or Law at this university or any other approved university; or to a woman who, after third year of university studies, is proceeding directly to a degree in Medicine, Dentistry or Law at this university or any other approved university.
Doris Curtis Memorial Scholarship
Income totalling $3,400 from a fund donated by family and friends in memory of Doris Curtis will provide scholarships for women students. Financial circumstances may be considered.
Diane Kilpatrick Memorial Scholarship
In memory of Diane Kilpatrick, LL.B. 1977, her family, friends and associates have endowed a scholarship of $1,300. It is awarded to a woman student entering second year in the Faculty of Law who has demonstrated good academic standing and an interest in helping others.
Ted Le Nobel Memorial Scholarship
A scholarship of $1,300 has been endowed in memory of Ted Le Nobel by his family. The award is made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Law, with preference given to a woman student entering the second year of the undergraduate program.
