Section awards are presented during the APSA annual meeting awards ceremony. To learn more about any award listed, contact the award committee chair for the award.

All section 35. Democracy and Autocracy awards to-date »

Best Article Award

Solo- or co-authored articles focusing directly on the subject of democracy, autocracy and/or regime change and published in 2026 are eligible. Nominations and self-nominations are encouraged. Copies of the article should be sent by email to each of the committee members. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2027

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Jonathan Chu (Chair)	National University of Singapore	jonchu@nus.edu.sg
Daniel Tavana	Pennsylvania State University	tavana@psu.edu
Rachael McLellan	University of Glasgow	rachael.mclellan@glasgow.ac.uk

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Best Book Award

Given for the best book in the comparative study of democracy, autocracy and/or regime change published in 2026 (authored, co-authored, or edited). Copies of the nominated book should be sent to each committee member in time to arrive by March 15, 2027. Books received after this deadline will not be considered. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2027

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Vicente Valentim (Chair)	IE University	vicente.valentim@ie.edu
Michaela Collord	University of Manchester	michaela.collord@manchester.ac.uk
Hannah Chapman	University of Oklahoma	hschapman@ou.edu
Samson Yuen	Hong Kong Baptist University	samsonyuen@hkbu.edu.hk

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Best Fieldwork Award

This prize rewards dissertation students who conduct especially innovative and difficult fieldwork in the comparative study of regime change. Scholars who are currently writing their dissertations or who completed their dissertations in 2026 are eligible. Candidates must submit two chapters of their dissertation and a short letter of nomination from the chair of their dissertation committee describing the field work. The material submitted must describe the field work in detail and should provide one or two key insights from the evidence collected in the field. The chapters may be sent electronically or in hard copy directly to each committee member. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2027

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Fabio Angiolillo (Chair)	Notre Dame University	fangioli@nd.edu
Narmin Yousef-Butt	Princeton University	nb5809@princeton.edu
Ronay Bakan	Fordham University	rbakan@fordham.edu

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Best Paper Award

Given to the best paper on the comparative study of democracy, autocracy and/or regime change presented at the previous year’s APSA Convention. Papers can be nominated by panel chairs or discussants. Self-submissions are also encouraged. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2027

ward Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Maya Tudor (Chair)	University of Oxford	maya.tudor@bsg.ox.ac.uk
Ye Zhang	Harvard University	yezhang@fas.harvard.edu
Andrew Ifedapo Thompson	University of Pennsylvania	aithomp@sas.upenn.edu

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Juan Linz Best Dissertation Award

Given for the best dissertation on democratization and/or the development and dynamics of democracy and authoritarianism completed and accepted in the two calendar years immediately prior to the APSA Annual Meeting where the award will be presented (2025 or 2026 for the 2027 Annual Meeting). The prize can be awarded to analyses of individual country cases as long as they are clearly cast in a comparative perspective. A copy of the dissertation, accompanied by a letter of support from a member of the dissertation committee, should be sent to each member of the prize selection committee.

Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2027

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Jane Esberg (Chair)	University of Pennsylvania	jesberg@sas.upenn.edu
Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd	Durham University	bruno.schmidt-feuerheerd@durham.ac.uk
Haemin Jee	Swarthmore College	hjee1@swarthmore.edu