The awards are named for former Alberta Premier Ernest Manning.
[5] The first winner of the Principal Award in 1982 was Phil Gold for his discovery of carcinoembryonic antigen, now widely used for cancer blood testing.
Other notable winners include cardiology researcher Adolfo J. de Bold (1986) for his discovery of the heart hormone atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP); endocrinologist Jean Dussault (1988) for developing a test for congenital hypothyroidism; biologist Yoshio Masui (1990) for work on cell division; physicist Kenneth O. Hill (1995) for his work on photosensitivity in optical fiber; engineer James McEwen (1997), inventor of the microprocessor-controlled automatic tourniquet system for surgeries; and educational technologist Murray Goldberg (2004) for his development of the WebCT course management system.
The Young Canadian Program, introduced in 1992, recognizes eight innovative projects selected by a team of judges at the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair.
Each project receives $500, which is presented at the Science Fair award ceremonies.