IPSA Awards

The IPSA Guillermo O'Donnell Award for Latin-American Scholars is meant to reward a Latin American scholar with residence in the region who is working on pioneering and innovative research in political science. The recipient is awarded a monetary prize of $3000 USD, conditional upon attendance at the upcoming IPSA World Congress of Political Science to give a lecture. This award is given in honor of a distinguished Argentine political scientist, Guillermo O'Donnell. The award was launched at the 2023 World Congress in Buenos Aires.

Prize: $3,000 USD

Application deadline: 1 March 2025

For more information

The purpose of the Francesco Kjellberg Award is to encourage young, new scholars to write and present papers at the IPSA World Congress of Political Science. The recipient is offered a complimentary two-year IPSA membership and $1,000 USD funding for her/his travel costs to the following World Congress. The award is made on the commendation of the IPSA Committee on Organization, Procedures and Awards (COPA) on the basis of nominations by convenors and chairs at the IPSA World Congress and is based on standard criteria of academic excellence. 

Prize: $1,000 USD (Following Congress)

Nomination deadline: 30 September 2025
Panel convenors and chairs are invited to submit nominations following the IPSA World Congress.

This award was established to recognize the cumulative body of work done by a scholar from the Global South whose scholarly contribution is focused on countries and themes relevant to the Global South. It was awarded for the first time at the 2009 IPSA World Congress of Political Science. 

The award recipient will be invited to present a prize lecture during the upcoming IPSA World Congress of Political Science and will receive $1,000 USD.

Prize: $1,000 USD

Application deadline: 1 March 2025

The purpose of the Karl Deutsch Award is to honour a prominent scholar engaged in the cross-disciplinary research of which Karl Deutsch was a master, focusing on recognizing outstanding scholarship in the field of global politics. The recipient presents the Karl Deutsch Lecture at the IPSA World Congress of Political Science. The Karl Deutsch Lectures are published in the International Political Science Review. The award is made on the recommendation of the IPSA Committee on Organization, Procedures and Awards (COPA) and supported by the Karl Deutsch fund. 

Prize: $1,000 USD

Nomination Deadline: 29 November 2024

The Kim Dae-jung Award was established to honor the legacy of Kim Dae-jung, the former President of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) from 1998 to 2003 and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2000. A revered democratic philosopher-statesman, as well as the author of the 30-volume Kim Dae-jung Works, he is celebrated for translating his democratic philosophies and ideas into concrete policies that benefited both Korea and the world during his presidency. Sponsored by the Kim Dae-Jung Foundation, it is awarded every World Congress of IPSA to honor a scholar of high international reputation in recognition of her/his academic contribution to global peace, democracy, and human rights. A round table celebrating the recipient of the Kim Dae-jung Award and global peace, democracy and human rights would be organized at the IPSA World Congress. The award is made based on the recommendation of the IPSA Committee on Organization, Procedures, and Awards (COPA).

Prize: $5,000 USD

Nomination deadline: 31 January 2025

The Meisel Laponce Award was established in honour of John Meisel and Jean Laponce, the first two editors of IPSR. It is sponsored by the International Political Science Association and SAGE Publications, and is awarded at every World Congress of Political Science for the best article published in IPSR in the previous two years. The first award was given at the IPSA World Congress in Madrid in July 2012.

Prize: $500 USD and travel expenses up to $1,500 USD

Nominations are made by IPSR editors

The Prize of the Foundation Mattei Dogan awarded by the International Political Science Association for High Achievement in Political Science is to honour a scholar of high international reputation in recognition of her/his contribution to the advancement of political science, with a particular focus on recognizing outstanding scholarship on comparative studies of political elites. The prize is awarded at every IPSA World Congress of Political Science.

The recipient will be invited to present a prize lecture during the upcoming IPSA World Congress of Political Science.

Prize: $3,000 USD

Nomination Deadline: 29 November 2024

The Stein Rokkan Award is one of the IPSA travel grants that the association began offering its members in the early 1990s. Its purpose is to help graduate students participate in the IPSA World Congress by offering financial assistance towards their travel and accommodation. The awards, supported by the Stein Rokkan Fund, are made on the recommendation of the IPSA Committee on Organization, Procedures and Awards (COPA).

Prize: $1,000 USD

Application deadline: 1 March 2025

The Lowi Award honors the author of a first book in any field of political science that exemplifies qualities of broad ambition, high originality, and intellectual daring, showing promise of having a substantive impact on the overall discipline, regardless of method, specific focus of inquiry or approach to subject.

Throughout a prolific and influential career, Lowi developed new understandings of the relationship of public policy to politics, the influence of institutional arrangements to the exercise of power, the role of ideology in the development of political parties, the relationship of democracy to law, the relevance of concept analysis for theory building, and more.  APSA and IPSA fund the award in alternating years.

Prize: $750 USD

Nomination deadline: 15 December 2024

For more information

The Wilma Rule Award on Gender and Politics was instituted by the Executive Committee on the recommendation of the Committee on Participation and the Committee on Awards. It was designed to encourage research in gender and politics and was launched at the 2000 IPSA World Congress. It is given to the best paper on gender and politics. The IPSA Awards Committee has recommended naming the award in tribute to the work of Wilma Rule.

The subject matter of the paper should include issues relating to women’s participation and representation in politics and society, especially the identification of entry barriers to decision-making arenas. Any scholar, male or female, who has prepared a written, original paper for the Congress, with the intention of presenting it personally, may be recommended for the award by the convenor or chair of his or her panel.

Prize: $1,000 USD

Nomination Deadline: 20 June 2025

The IPSA Research Committee 01 - Concepts and Methods (C&M) invites submissions to Award for Concept Analysis in Political Science. The award is given every three years. It is co-sponsored by C&M and the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) in Mexico City.

The notion of “concept analysis” is to be understood broadly. It is intended to cover concept analysis, concept formation, and conceptual innovation as well as the fields of operationalization, measurement, and data collection.

The Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M - IPSA RC01) publishes two highly regarded series of working papers. In 2011, the Committee introduced the Best C&M Working Paper Award, which recognizes the best working paper published in either of its two series during the three previous year.

The purpose of the David M. Olson Award is to honor outstanding research in parliamentary/legislative studies. The recipient(s) will be rewarded for the best paper presented in one of the RC08 panels at either the latest IPSA World Congress or at any conferences/ panels organized by RC08 between the last two congresses. 

Every year, IPSA’s Research Committee 27 - Structure and Organization of Government (SOG), sponsor of the journal Governance, awards the Levine Prize. The Prize is awarded to a book that makes a contribution of considerable theoretical or practical significance public policy and administration, takes an explicitly comparative perspective and is written in an accessible style. It is named in honour of Charles H. Levine, who was an outstanding scholar in the fields of public policy and administration. He played a major role in the creation and early life of both the journal Governance and its sponsor, the Structure and Organization of Government Research Committee of the International Political Science Association (SOG). After his untimely death in 1988, the Editorial Board of Governance and the Executive Committee of SOG established an annual book prize in his memory.

The book selected should meet the following criteria:

1. It makes a contribution of considerable theoretical or practical significance in the field of public policy and administration;
2. It takes an explicitly comparative perspective or produces findings the implications of which are highly significant for comparative research;
3. It is written in an accessible style and form so that it is of value both to scholars and practitioners.

The Levine Prize will be awarded to the book published in the previous year that that best meets these criteria.

The Ulrich Kloeti Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Study of Public Policy, Administration, and Institutions is given in honour of Ulrich Kloeti, a founding member of  IPSA’s Research Committee 27 on the Structure and Organization of Government (SOG) and its co-chair for ten years.

It is presented annually to a scholar who has made exceptional contributions to research in the field through a sustained career. Awardees must have involved themselves significantly within RC27 - Structure and Organization of Government (SOG) -- both with respect to research and leadership.

Supported by the Center for the Study of Federalism, this biennial award is given to living, recognized scholars whose publications continue to make significant and major contributions to our understanding and appreciation of the history, theory, and/or practice of federalism in single or multiple countries and/or transnational arrangements, such as the European Union. The award shall be for distinguished work done specifically on federalism and federations. The award is presented at the RC28 business meeting held during each IPSA World Congress.

The purpose of the Juan Linz Prize was to honour a prominent scholar engaged in the Decentralization, Multinational and Multiethnic Integration and Federalism Comparative Research of which Juan Linz was a master, with a particular focus on recognizing outstanding scholarship in the field of (comparative) political institutions.

The recipient presented the Juan Linz lecture at the IPSA World Congress of Political Science and received an award with a value of 3,000 USD. The award was made on the recommendation of the IPSA Committee on Organization, Procedures and Awards (COPA). From 2014 to 2018, the award was supported by the Juan Linz fund which was created and sponsored by the EUSKOBAROMETRO observatory of the University of the Basque Country.

The Juan Linz Prize was awarded from 2014 to 2021.