The University of Ottawa Journal of Medicine (UOJM) is pleased to have concluded the second edition of the UOJM National Commentaries Contest. This contest seeks to foster critical thinking and creativity in timely issues in healthcare through academic writing. Trainees from across Canada were invited to submit a commentary on a current medical issue, controversy, or social determinant of health, written in English or French. Each commentary was evaluated using a double-blinded procedure by the UOJM Editorial Team. Top-ranked submissions were further evaluated by clinicians and researchers at the University of Ottawa. Evaluation criteria included: topic relevance, writing quality, supporting evidence, and call to action. This current special issue of UOJM features the commentaries which placed in the top quartile of each submission category, including the winning submissions of the contest.