ESET opens 2026 Canada women in cybersecurity awards

ESET has opened applications across Canada for its 2026 Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship programme, offering three awards of CAD $5,000 each to students pursuing a career in the field.

Now in its 11th year in North America, the programme launched in the US in 2016 and expanded to Canada in 2021. ESET describes it as a combination of financial support, mentorship, and community engagement for women entering the profession.

In Canada, the initiative has awarded more than CAD $50,000 to 14 women since launch. It began with a single CAD $5,000 award and has since grown to three scholarships totalling CAD $15,000.

Bob Bonneau, Country Manager at ESET Canada, said the scholarship has drawn strong interest since its introduction in Canada.

"Supporting this scholarship has been one of the initiatives I'm most proud of at ESET," Bonneau said.

He added, "When we launched in Canada in 2021, we hoped it would spark interest and create opportunities, and we've seen that with the extraordinary talent it has attracted. Their talent reaffirms why this investment matters. When we support emerging professionals, we're building a stronger, more resilient cybersecurity community for the years ahead."

Workforce gap

The scholarship opens as the cybersecurity sector continues to report persistent underrepresentation of women in technical and security roles. Workforce studies have pointed to steady progress, but from a low base.

The most recent (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study puts women at about 22% of the global cybersecurity workforce. In Canada, the figure is 21.2%, according to the same source.

Cybersecurity employers in Canada face a shifting set of risks as organisations increase their dependence on cloud services and connected devices. Security teams are also contending with new demands tied to the adoption of AI systems, both in defensive tools and in attacker techniques.

ESET pointed to the link between emerging technology and the need for a wider range of perspectives in security work, particularly as AI becomes more prominent in the threat landscape.

Award criteria

For the 2026 cycle, ESET Canada said applicants will be assessed on technical aptitude, leadership potential, and commitment to cybersecurity. The announcement did not provide further eligibility details beyond a focus on Canadian students.

Constance Prevot, the 2025 Trailblazer Award recipient, urged students considering the sector to apply.

"I would strongly encourage women interested in cybersecurity to apply for the ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship," Prevot said.

She added, "Receiving this support was a defining moment in my journey. As a student in Canada, it affirmed that women have an important role to play in shaping the future of cybersecurity. Support like this builds confidence, expands opportunity, and strengthens the broader cybersecurity community."

The awards are part of broader industry efforts to widen participation in cybersecurity, including graduate pathways, reskilling initiatives, and targeted mentorship programmes. Canadian universities and colleges have also expanded cyber-related courses and security-focused modules within computer science and engineering programmes.

ESET is a European-founded cybersecurity vendor with operations in multiple countries. It sells security products and services across endpoint, cloud, and mobile environments, and invests in research and threat intelligence through R&D centres that support product development.

Applications for the 2026 Canadian scholarships are open, with submissions due by 11:59 p.m. PT on April 8, 2026, according to ESET.