Migration Data Challenge 2025: Final Showcase

Ten teams. Four prizes. Watch future changemakers turn data into narratives.

Join us for the Final Showcase of the Migration Data Challenge 2025, hosted by the Bridging Divides program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Earlier this month, 25 student teams from across the country had one week to analyze migration data from Statistics Canada and generate new insights into disparities in access to services and opportunities.

Now, it’s time for the judges — and the audience — to decide this year’s winners.

Ten teams from Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia have been selected to present their work to a distinguished panel of judges:

• Feng Hou, Principal Researcher, Social Analysis and Modelling Division, Statistics Canada; Adjunct Professor, University of Western Ontario
• Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants; Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Maciej Karpinski, Assistant Director, Research and Knowledge Mobilization Division, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Haozhen Zhang, Senior Advisor, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Isar Nejadgholi, Senior Research Scientist, Text Analytics Team, Digital Technologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada
• Ron Samson, Senior Manager, Data Insights, Magnet

The event will feature:

• Presentations by the 10 semi-finalist teams

• Commentary and feedback from the expert judging panel

• Live voting for the Audience Choice Award

• Announcement of four winning teams:

Best Overall Submission – $4,000

Best Use of External Data – $3,000

Best Visualization – $2,000

Audience Choice Award – $1,000

This event is open to all. Whether you're a student, researcher, policymaker, or simply interested in how data can be used to tackle complex social challenges, join us. Attendees will be able to vote in real time to help select the Audience Choice Award winner.