b"ANNOUNCING THE CPBI AWARDSThe Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Awards program is now accepting scholarship applications and award nominations. Germination staffWITH THE COMMONgoals of recognizing achievement and innovation in plant breeding and shining a spotlight on the contributions made by plant breeders in Canada, the Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award and the Seed of the Year program have come together along with Germination to form the Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation (CPBI) awards program.The CPBI awards are an opportunity to recog-nize plant breeders at various stages in their careers. Scholarship recipients and award winners will be announced at the Canadian Seed Trade Association's semi-annual meeting, taking place this year from Dec. 1-3.It is broken down into the following components: CPBI Innovation Scholarships (formerly Seed of the Year scholarship): Recognizing up-and-coming young plant breeders. Seed of the Year: Honouring the accomplishments of seed breeders from across Canada and their chosen variety, with the intention of bolstering knowledge of the importance of breeding programs in Canada. The winner will be selected by Germinations editorial board. Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award:Presented annually to a public or private sector researcher who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Canadian plant agriculture through research in plant breeding and genetics.Awarding innovation among up-and-coming young scientists is an important way to recognize the accom-plishments of our next generation of plant breeders, says Germination editor Marc Zienkiewicz.The Seed of the Year program has been a valued part of the Canadian seed industry over the years, but we felt it was time to evolve the program and inject some new life into it, says Todd Hyra, western business manager for SeCan, one of the sponsors of the Seed of the Year program. The Seed of the Year program enjoys the support of a number of other sponsors including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Barley Commission, Alberta Wheat, Canterra Seeds, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Canadian Seed Trade Association, FP Genetics, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Richardson International, Sask Wheat, and Western Grains Research Foundation.We encourage students and plant breeders to partici-pate in this important method of recognizing excellence 14GERMINATION.CA SEPTEMBER 2019"