The Human Rights Section offers annual awards for Best Paper, Best Dissertation and Best Book. The Distinguished Scholar in Human Rights is given out every three years. Click here for previous Human Rights Section Award Recipients.
2026 HUMAN RIGHT SECTION AWARDS AND COMMITTEES
Best Paper:
The competition is open to papers presented on an APSA panel sponsored by the Human Rights section at the most recent American Political Science Association Annual Meeting.
Nomination Instructions. Please send a full pdf copy of the paper, along with a cover letter indicating the APSA panel on which it was presented and the name of the panel chair, to each member of the award committee. Self-nominations are welcome.
Award Committee:
Pelekeh Tapang (Chair), York University, Canada, pelekeh@gmail.com
Audrey Comstock, Arizona State University haridge@chapman.edu
Bi Zhao Gonzaga University, zhaob@gonzaga.edu
Emily Henchen Ritter, Vanderbilt University, emily.h.ritter@vanderbilt.edu
Katerina Tertytchnaya, Oxford University, katerina.tertytchnaya@politics.ox.ac.uk
Best Dissertation:
The competition is open to political science dissertations that focus on human rights. To be eligible, a dissertation must have been completed and accepted within the two calendar years prior to the year in which the award is given. The date the dissertation was filed will establish the relevant year.
Nomination instructions: A full pdf copy of the filed dissertation, along with a letter of support from the nominee’s dissertation chair, should be sent to each member of the award committee by email. The letter should specify the contribution of the work to the field of human rights in 1000 words or less. A qualifying dissertation can be submitted for consideration only once.
Award Committee:
Eugene Richard Sensenig (Chair), Notre Dame University, Zouk Mosbeh Campus, eugensensenig@gmail.com
Gino Pauselli, University of Illinois, pauselli@illinois.edu
Isabel G. Laterzo, University of Texas, isabel.laterzo@texas.edu
Nusta Carranza Ko, University of Baltimore, nustako@gmail.com
Robyn Linde, Rhode Island College, rlinde@ric.edu
Best Book:
The competition is open to books on human rights that were written by a political scientist. To be eligible, a book must have been published within the two calendar years prior to the year in which the award is given. The copyright date of the book will establish the relevant year.
Nomination Instructions: One copy of the nominated work, along with a cover letter, should be sent to each member of the award committee. Please email committee members directly to determine which form of the book they prefer to receive – pdf or hard copy.A qualifying book can be submitted for consideration only once. Self-nominations are welcome.
Award Committee:
Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch (Chair), Suffolk University, mben-josefhirsch@suffolk.edu
Philip M. Ayoub, University College London, p.ayoub@ucl.a.uk
Ezgi Yildiz, Bowdoin College, e.yildiz@bowdoin.edu
Kristina Stoeckl, Luiss University, kstoeckl@luiss.it
Petra Hendrickson, Northern Michigan University, pehendri@nmu.edu