The CSSR / CSÉR Student Prize, which was instituted in 2011, is awarded to qualifying applicants for the best student presentation at the annual conference. Following 2020, the graduate prize was re-named the Michael Purves-Smith Student Paper Award and an Undergraduate Paper Award was created. For more information about the awards, see their Terms of Reference.
- 2023 Graduate: Kyle Gerber
- 2022 Graduate: Máire Slater; undergraduate: Queenie Chen and Romina Hashemi
- 2021 Graduate: Maab Alkurdi and Shannon Lodoen; runner-up Maša Torbica
- 2020 no winner (annual conference cancelled)
- 2019 Nicolas Noble
- 2018 Monique Kampherm
- 2017 Kyle Gerber
- 2016 Lyuba Encheva
- 2015 no winner (no student papers met prize committee standards)
- 2014 Julie Dainville
- 2013 Shivaun Corry
- 2012 Christine Horton