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Winners announced for the Fall 2025 AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest
November 26, 2025
The Fall 2025 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest (AWJAC) took place at Texas A&M University on November 8 and 9, drawing over 270 registrants from 23 universities across North America who tested their skills in assessing the welfare of animals. A large group of Canadian students from the University of Guelph, OVC, and AVC participated.
Contestants worked through scenarios involving a variety of species, including tilapia, pet gerbils, Gaboon vipers in a zoo, and dressage horses. They then presented their findings to a panel of experts, which included leading scientists and veterinarians with specialized knowledge in animal welfare.
As in previous years, the Canadian participants were very successful, placing in two of the graduate student individual and team divisions and in seven of the 24 placings. This includes two first place awards in the veterinary student divisions. The CVMA would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the veterinary students, graduate students, and mentors who participated and who once again excelled and represented our commitment to teaching and promoting the principles of animal welfare. Your national association is extremely proud of you all.
Information on the 2025 AWJAC, including all prizes awarded, can be found here.
Canadian placings (of five in each category) are listed here:
Individual placings;
Veterinary student division:
- 1st place: Megan Guptill, AVC
- 2nd place: Hadley Bryce, OVC
- 4th place: Mia Nanini, OVC
Graduate student division:
- 5th place: Gillian Forestell, University of Guelph
Teams placings:
Undergraduate Senior division:
- 2nd place: University of Guelph
Veterinary student division:
- 1st place: OVC
- 3rd place: AVC Team 1
- 4th place: AVC Team 2
Graduate student division:
- 4th place: AVC Grad Team
Students and mentors from the University of Guelph, OVC and AVC at the 2025 AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest (AWJAC) at Texas A&M Nov 8,9, 2025