The 2026 President's Challenge

Morrissette Entrepreneurship is hosting an info session for the President's Challenge —a multi-week competition  open to all Western Students (including affiliates) that seeks to address critical issues facing society.

This competition is designed to enhance your academic, oral presentation, and entrepreneurial skills, all while fostering a spirit of action on important societal issues. By presenting your unique ideas to a panel of academic and community leaders, you are not just competing; you are actively contributing to positive change.

During the info session, you will learn more about the competition, and the problem we are striving to solve, and have the opportunity to meet other students eager to step up to the challenge.

THE 2026 PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE

The benefits of physical activity in improving an individual's overall health are well known. However, data show that Canadians are leading increasingly sedentary lives. A 2022 World Health Organization study showed that 37.2% of Canadian adults were physically inactive with trends showing this could increase to over 41% by 2030.

Sedentary behaviors have wide-ranging adverse impacts on the human body, including increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer risk, and risks of metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; musculoskeletal disorders such as arthralgia and osteoporosis; depression; and cognitive impairment. Therefore, reducing sedentary behaviors and increasing physical activity are important to promoting public health and reducing the strain on our healthcare system.

The 2026 President's Challenge is calling on students to create solutions that encourage Canadians to be more physically active. Solutions could focus on individuals, communities, and systems targeting various age groups as a way to promote and incentivize well-being, all with the goal of improving the health of all Canadians.

Click here for more information on the 3rd edition of the President's Challenge !