MacEwan faculty, staff, alumni and students have been collecting awards, publishing books and research, premiering films, earning national recognition and finding new ways to strengthen their communities.

Take a look at some of the people and projects generating applause, headlines and well-deserved accolades over the past few months.

Big titles, big wins

On the page

Dr. Steve Lillebuen’s students earned Gold at the Canadian Journalism Awards in the Data Journalism category for their work on “Risky restaurants” with the Edmonton Journal.

MacEwan Griffins’ Jefferson Hagen was awarded Feature Story of the Year for the second year running by Canada West at its annual SID and Creative Awards, recognizing excellence in sports information and communications. His award-winning feature tells the story of David Kapinga, MacEwan's new men’s basketball head coach, who fled war-torn Africa as a child. 

Abby Oloriz, BSc Honours Psychology ’26, earned the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta 2026 Undergraduate Thesis Research Award for her work on how task engagement and learnability influence neural reward processing.

The Students’ Association of MacEwan University's student newspaper, The Griff, was named the national Student Publication of the Year at a student journalism conference.

On the stage

Dr. Emilie LeBel, Department of Music faculty member and recent Chancellor's Research Chair recipient, was named Classical Composer of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. The Mbira Renaissance Band, including MacEwan alum and guitarist George Koufogiannakis, Music ’89, received Afrobeats Artist of the Year. MacEwan was well represented among the 2026 WCMA nominees. Faculty nominees included Padraig Buttner-Schnirer, Chris Andrew, Rubim de Toledo, Aretha Tillotson, Paul Johnston, Dan Davis and Jamie Cooper. Alumni nominees included Dave Babcock, Music ’82 and Distinguished Alumni Award recipient ’23, David Aide, Music ’92, Fred Mack, Bachelor of Music in Jazz & Contemporary Pop Music ’18, Peter Filice, Bachelor of Music in Jazz & Contemporary Pop Music ’22, and Kyle Mosiuk, Music ’09.

In the classroom and in the community

Dr. Rodney Schmaltz received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations for excellence in the classroom and his contributions to the wider community, which focus on scientific skepticism and critical thinking. 

Nooshin Walji, leadership education specialist with Student Life, received the 2026 Lois Hole Community Leadership Award, presented by the Centre for Family Literacy in recognition of outstanding leadership in promoting and advancing family literacy in the community. 

The 2026 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) Canada recognized Dr. Lucio Gelmini, associate professor in the Department of Physical Sciences, with their Outreach Award for his work making science accessible through interactive and exciting demos for grade-school-aged children and teens across Alberta.

MacEwan’s Procurement and Contract Management Services team received an award from Euna Solutions for Leadership in Transformation. 

Mallory Yawnghwe, Bachelor of Commerce ’18 and Distinguished Alumni Award ’24, and founder and co-CEO of Indigenous Box, was awarded an honorary diploma from NorQuest College as part of its 2025 convocation cohort. 

And the Lifesaving Society recognized MacEwan’s Sport and Wellness staff with three program excellence awards for its lifesaving, First Aid and lifeguard programs. 

The MacEwan Model UN delegation returned from National Model UN New York with an Outstanding Delegation Award, four Position Paper Awards and two Outstanding Delegate peer awards. 

MacEwan women's hockey goalie Lindsey Johnson was selected for Hockey Canada’s Creating Coaches program, where she will receive mentorship, training and coaching experience alongside 22 players from across the country.

Kevin Chavez Laxamana, an instructor in the School of Continuing Education, was shortlisted as a top-75 finalist for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. 

The Edmonton Oilers’ new emergency back-up goalie, Brett Epp, played for the Griffins men’s hockey team in 2024-25, backstopping the team to its first-ever playoff win in the Canada West post-season and earning multiple star-of-the-week honours.

Making a difference

MacEwan’s Department of Music was awarded Inclusion Alberta’s Community Inclusion Award for its outstanding work including students with intellectual disabilities. 

MacEwan University’s sustainability efforts were recognized with a throwback to its 2019 Emerald Award at the organization’s 35th anniversary celebration. The university was also designated a Bee Campus through Bee City Canada. The non-profit organization recognizes campuses committed to supporting pollinators and creating healthier habitats for bees and other pollinators. 

The Environmental Journal recognized MacEwan’s downtown campus as one of the top 25 remediation projects of 2026. Built on former rail yards, today’s campus reflects decades of work to remediate land, manage environmental impacts and support sustainable urban development in the heart of Edmonton.

Bright ideas and breakthroughs

PimaSens Inc., co-founded by Dr. Samuel Mugo and Dr. Mohammed Elmorsy, was named a finalist in the 2026 ASTech Awards in the Agriculture and Agrifood category. Their groundbreaking work features technology that uses advanced sensors to provide farmers with immediate, actionable data regarding soil health, driving sustainable livestock and crop production. 

Dr. Roland Lee, associate professor of Chemistry, was also named a finalist in two categories – Hydrogen, Sustainability and Cleantech and Energy Innovation – for his project titled “Sustainable Technology for Water Management, Waste Conversion, and Revitalization.” 

Winners will be announced in November.

Dr. Jennifer Lavers, University Transfer, Bachelor of Science ’01, Distinguished Alumni Award ’19, recently published her research on ingested plastics in Australia’s Sable Shearwater seabirds in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper, which draws on 15 years of data, found that consuming plastic significantly reduces the likelihood that young birds will survive, return to their natal island and breed.

Diana Tymofichuk, Massage Therapy ’26, won the Silver Award in the Massage Therapy Foundation’s Student Case Report Contest for her paper, “Massage Therapy for Pain and Quality of Life in Ankylosing Spondylitis.” The award includes a $2,000 USD cash prize and an invitation to publish her work and submit a poster for the 2027 American Massage Therapy Association National Convention in Georgia.

Adrienne Bailey, Bachelor of Science ’25, is the first author on a newly published paper in Agricultural and Forest Entomology that examines temperature, climate change and mountain pine beetles.

Creative sparks

Elisabeth Belliveau, associate professor in the Department of Studio Arts, released her fifth graphic novel, Birth Story.

Rayanne Haines, assistant professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Management, was awarded a Literary Arts Project Grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to support the curation and production of an anthology of creative nonfiction essays and long-form poems exploring end-of-life rituals, grief practices and mourning ceremonies across cultures.

Shawn Henry, associate professor in the Department of Theatre, is working with MacEwan’s record label, Bent River Records, to release an original cast album recording of Monceros later this year. 

Dr. Junaid Jahangir authored a new book entitled Common Ground: Reflections on Humanity and Justice in a Divided World. The collection of essays offers a meditation on faith, justice, identity and coexistence.

Cheyenne Rain LeGrande, Fine Art ’16 and Emerging Leader Award ’24, installed Misi-mîkisak, a 14-foot-tall beaded earring constructed of colourfully painted fibreglass, in Hawrelak Park this summer. The contemporary interpretation pays homage to the important history Indigenous people have with beads and beadwork.

MacEwan alumni and faculty, including Kent Sangster, associate professor in the Department of Music and the 2026 Edmonton Jazz Fest artistic producer, were out in full force for the festival’s 28th year.

The university was also well represented in the 2026 Edmonton Arts Prizes with faculty member Colin Waugh and alumni AJA Louden, Design Foundations ’10, Design Studies ’12 & Distinguished Alumni Award recipient ’23, Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet, Fine Art '17, Elsa Robinson, Public Relations ’03, and Simon Glassman, Design Foundations ’08, Design Studies ’10. 

Lights, camera, MacEwan

Design student Tyra Delver’s film, pâkwêsikan sâkihtin: Bannock Is Love, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.  

At the Edmonton Short Film Festival, a group of MacEwan alumni and current students took home the 48-hour Challenge Award. The winning film was co-directed and edited by Landon Kiltz, Public Relations ’23 and Bachelor of Commerce ’22, and current MacEwan Bachelor of Arts students Carter Bigam and Jude Cormack. It starred Gabriella Amesbury, Bachelor of Commerce ’24, and Harvey Fells, Bachelor of Commerce ’22.

A journalism project that looks at the increase in non-human vending experiences and its link to increased theft by Bachelor of Communication Studies student Ethan Sampson and Bachelor of Science student Micah Paszek, both minoring in Film Studies, is the top story on the Global TV news show from the University of Brighton that showcases work from journalism and communications students around the world.