In recognition of the contributions made to all areas of political science, APSA will award the below prizes in 2025. These prizes cover a wide spectrum of achievement, from the PhD Thesis Prize awarded for the most outstanding thesis in political science, to the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Academic Leadership in Political Science Award.
Please click on the relevant award for details and nomination processes. All documents should be sent to info@auspsa.org.au.
Key Dates
Call for nominations open: 30 June
Call for nominations close: 10 October 2025 for ANZSOG Siobhan O’Sullivan Prize & 25 October for Peter Hay Prizes
APSA to notify winners for select Awards: Early October
Prizes Awarded by APSA Specialist Research Groups and Sub-Committees
Pete Hay Early Career Research Prize is awarded to the best paper on the topic of environmental politics by an early career researcher at the APSA Annual Conference.
Pete Hay Environmental Politics Prize is awarded to the best published paper by a current member of the Environmental Politics and Policy Research Group.
ANZSOG Siobhan O’Sullivan Prize for Policy Studies Research is awarded annually to the best peer reviewed paper by a postgraduate or early career researcher with a policy studies focus.
Prizes that Recognise Outstanding Research in Political Studies (Nominations Closed)
Henry Mayer Book Prize for Australian Politics is awarded biennially to the best book on Australian politics
Carole Pateman Gender and Politics Book Prize is awarded biennially to the best book on gender and politics.
Awards that Recognise Outstanding Leadership in Political Studies (Nominations Closed)
Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded annually in recognition of the exceptional achievement and contributions to political studies and/or exceptional service to APSA.
Academic Leadership in Political Science Award is awarded annually in recognition of outstanding inclusive and collaborative academic leadership in the discipline of Political Science, broadly defined.
Marian Simms Policy Engagement Award is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement, innovation and creativity in research impact and policy engagement in the discipline of Political Science, broadly defined.
Prizes that Recognise Outstanding Postgraduate Research in Political Studies (Nominations Closed)
PhD Thesis Prize is awarded annually to the best PhD dissertation in political science, broadly defined (nominations closed).
Postgraduate Conference Paper Prize is awarded annually to the best conference paper.