Professor Salyzyn has been awarded the University of Ottawa's 2026 Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award in the Established Researcher category for her Apps for Justice Challenge, an initiative that engages Ontario high school students in exploring how technology can improve access to justice.
The Apps for Justice Challenge emerged from Professor Salyzyn's broader research on access to justice and legal innovation, supported through an Ontario Early Researcher Award. The project responds to a pressing national concern: studies suggest that approximately 80 percent of Canadians experience unmet legal needs, while access to justice continues to be identified as one of the country's most significant legal and social challenges.
Designed for high school classrooms, the Challenge introduces students to barriers that prevent many Canadians from accessing legal services and justice institutions. Participants are then invited to develop technology-based solutions, culminating in the creation of original legal app concepts aimed at addressing specific access-to-justice problems.
The initiative reflects Professor Salyzyn's longstanding interest in making legal knowledge more accessible and encouraging public engagement with the justice system. By combining legal education with technological innovation, the project helps students understand how law affects everyday life while encouraging them to think creatively about improving the justice system.
Originally piloted at the University of Ottawa in 2019, the project has evolved significantly through partnerships with law students, educators, and the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), a leading organization dedicated to youth legal education. What began as a small pilot involving 22 students has grown into a province-wide initiative that has reached more than 250 Ontario high school students.
A key strength of the project has been its collaborative approach. Throughout its development, students and teachers have provided ongoing feedback that has shaped the program's evolution, ensuring that the materials remain engaging, accessible, and responsive to classroom needs. Today, the Apps for Justice Challenge forms part of OJEN's regular programming and is available as a flexible online resource that can be integrated into classrooms across Ontario.
You can learn more about Professor Salyzyn’s Access to Justice Legal Apps Challenge Modules, through the Centre for Law, Technology and Society website.
Looking ahead, Professor Salyzyn hopes to expand the initiative's reach, including through greater engagement with underserved schools and the development of French-language materials that will make the program accessible to even more students.
A Faculty member at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society, Professor Amy Salyzyn is an Associate Professor and holds the Dean’s Research Professorship in Technology and Justice Futures in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section at the University of Ottawa.
Presented by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (OVPRI), the Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Excellence Award recognizes outstanding efforts to mobilize research knowledge beyond academia and generate meaningful social impact. The award includes $10,000 in funding to support future knowledge mobilization activities.
The Faculty of Law congratulates Professor Salyzyn on this well-deserved recognition and on the remarkable impact of the Apps for Justice Challenge.