Go to main content

CBC KICKS OFF NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S SMARTEST KIDS: CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON JUNIOR TO PREMIERE THIS FALL

Canadians aged 8-12 can apply online at cbc.ca/smartestpersonjunior

The search is on for CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON JUNIOR (6x60), a new CBC competition series that will be taped in front of a studio audience at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre and premiere this fall. Based on the hit format Canada’s Smartest Person and produced by award-winning Media Headquarters, this competition will crown one amazing young Canadian with the first ever title of Canada’s Smartest Person Junior. Canadian kids aged 8 to 12 can apply now at cbc.ca/smartestpersonjunior until June 30. 

“The junior format of this engaging and innovative competition will continue to showcase intelligence in all its many forms,” said Sally Catto, general manager, programming, CBC. “We look forward to introducing audiences to some remarkable young people from across the country, and empowering Canadians of all ages to celebrate their own unique abilities and strengths.”

“We’re thrilled to announce this new edition of Canada’s Smartest Person that will give the next generation of Canadians a chance to put their smarts to the test. You don’t need straight As in math or science to apply because this competition proves there’s lots of different ways to be smart,” said Robert Cohen, Executive Producer and Creator of Canada’s Smartest Person Junior. “This season will be filled with new and exciting twists we’ve never seen before on the Smartest Person stage.”

Like the grownup edition, CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON JUNIOR is inspired by The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Over six weeks, 12 remarkable kids will showcase their smarts in fun and spectacular challenges across six categories: physical, musical, social, linguistic, logical, and visual smarts. In this entertaining and action-packed series, the young competitors will battle for the coveted title of Canada’s Smartest Person Junior with the whole country cheering them on. Applications are now open to kids who excel in diverse fields such as: dancing; gaming; snowboarding; doing puzzles; playing music; debating; creating science fair projects; raising horses; making movies; or telling jokes; because, after all, intelligence comes in all shapes and sizes.

In a twist on the original format, audiences will see the same cast of incredible kids week-to-week. Those competitors with the strongest performances each week will advance to the next episode, while the others will be up for elimination. In the season finale, the top six finalists will go head-to-head one final time. The competition will culminate in a heart-stopping showdown between the top two combatants in the world’s most intense intelligence obstacle course, the Super Gauntlet, for the chance to be named Canada’s Smartest Person Junior.

cbc.ca/smartestpersonjunior
facebook.com/canadassmartestperson
instagram.com/canadassmartest
@CanadasSmartest

-30-

About CBC/Radio-Canada:
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About Media Headquarters:
Media Headquarters is a leading Canadian television and digital media production company founded by executive producer Robert Cohen. The company is recognized worldwide for producing popular and innovative original content. Media Headquarters’ productions have earned dozens of international awards and the company has been recognized by Realscreen’s ‘Global 100’ List celebrating the world’s best non-fiction producers for six years in a row. Media Headquarters specializes in the creation of unscripted series, formats, drama and children’s programming. For more information visit mediahqs.net/

For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media​ ​Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.

For more information, contact:
Sarah Goddard, publicist, CBC
sarah.goddard@cbc.ca
416-205-2983

Ali Seller, publicist, Media Headquarters
ali@gabcommunications.ca
647.825.8819

Discover

2 days ago

Tenth anniversary rebroadcast of The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration concert on August 22

Relive the night Canada stood still for the live broadcast of The Tragically Hip’s 2016 Man Machine Poem concert from Kingston, Ont., re-broadcasting and streaming commercial-free on Saturday, August 22 on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio and CBC Music’s YouTube page. 
August 5th at 9:50

CBC sets Fall 2026 premiere dates

CBC today announced streaming and broadcast premiere dates for its fall 2026 slate of new and returning programming on CBC Gem and CBC TV, including more than 20 original series and specials from Canadian creators, producers, and storytellers reflecting people, places and perspectives from across the country.
July 28th at 9:53

A Brand New Season of The New Wave of Standup Launches August 7, 2026 on CBC Gem

Showcasing 14 notable rising stars from Canada's epic comedy scene
July 24th at 11:54

New to CBC Gem in August 2026

New titles joining CBC Gem in August include the exclusive Canadian premieres of travelogue Richard E. Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey, New Zealand buddy-cop crime series Bust Up, and gripping UK vacation drama Two Weeks in August, plus concert special The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration and new CBC Kids series Iyanu, Butterfly Academy and Maddie & Triggs. 
July 23rd at 10:45

Filming Underway on Season Three of CBC Original Hit Drama ‘Saint-Pierre’

Hawco Productions began filming the third season of the series this month in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and will also shoot in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, France.