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 19. International Security awards to-date »

Kenneth N. Waltz Dissertation Award

The Kenneth N. Waltz Dissertation Award is given by the International Security Section to the best defended dissertation in 2025 on the study of international security. The committee welcomes nominations that explore any aspect of security studies and that use any methodological approach (historical, quantitative, theoretical, policy analysis, etc.). Nominated dissertations will be judged according to four criteria: 1) contribution to security studies scholarship, 2) international security policy significance, 3) rigor in approach and analysis, 4) power of expression and originality in substance and approach.

Nomination Process: Complete nomination packets will include an electronic copy of the dissertation defended in 2025, a summary statement of no more than 1,000 words from the student, and a brief supporting statement of no more than 500 words from the supervisor. Send all materials to the Committee Chair, Marybeth Peterson Ulrich at marybeth.ulrich@usnwc.edu.

Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Marybeth Peterson Ulrich (Chair)	United States Naval War College	marybeth.ulrich@usnwc.edu
Matthew Ford	Swedish Defence University	matthew.ford@fhs.se
Erik Gartzke	University of California, San Diego	egartzke@ucsd.edu
Pascal Vennesson	S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University	ispvennesson@ntu.edu.sg

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Joseph Kruzel Memorial Award for Distinguished Public Service

The Joseph Kruzel Memorial Award for Distinguished Public Service is awarded to a scholar with a distinguished career in national security affairs both as an academic and a public servant. The award memorializes Dr. Joseph Kruzel, a security studies scholar and defense policy official who was killed while serving on a diplomatic mission to Bosnia.

Nomination Process: Complete nomination packets will include an electronic copy of the nominee’s professional C.V., highlighting their record of public service and scholarship, together with a summary statement of no more than 1,000 words concerning the individual’s major achievements and contributions in policy and academia. The individual nominated need not be a member of the International Security Section. Submit information to the 2026 Committee Chair, Stephen M. Grenier at sgrenier@jhu.edu.

Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Stephen M. Grenier (Chair)	Johns Hopkins University	sgrenier@jhu.edu
Andrew Dorman	King’s College London	andrew.dorman@kcl.ac.uk
Tracy German	King’s College London	tracey.german@kcl.ac.uk

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The Robert Jervis Best International Security Book by a Non-tenured Faculty Member

The Robert Jervis International Security Book Award is presented by the International Security section to the best international security themed book published in 2025 by an early career scholar who completed their PhD or DPhil in 2020 or later. The committee welcomes nominations that deploy any approach (historical, quantitative, theoretical, policy analysis, etc.), in the field of security studies. Books will be judged according to four criteria: 1) contribution to security studies scholarship, 2) international security policy significance, 3) rigor in approach and analysis, 4) power of expression and originality in substance and approach. Only single author books will be considered. 

Nomination Process: A letter of nomination (self-nominations acceptable) should be submitted to Kathryn Fisher, the award committee chair, at kathryn.fisher@jhu.edu. A print copy of the book must also be sent to each member of the committee. The committee chair will provide the shipping details for each committee member. Digital copies of the book will not be considered by the committee unless a committee member requests one.  

Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Kathryn Fisher (Chair)	Johns Hopkins University	kathryn.fisher@jhu.edu
Dave Sacko	United States Air Force Academy	david.sacko@afacademy.af.edu
Stephen M. Greiner	Johns Hopkins University	sgrenier@jhu.edu

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Catherine McArdle Kelleher Award for Best International Security Article

The Catherine McArdle Kelleher International Security Article Award recognizes the best peer-reviewed article in the field of international security each year. Eligible articles must have been published (either online or in print) in a relevant peer-reviewed journal in 2025. Authors must be International Security section members. The committee welcomes articles that deploy any approach (historical, quantitative, theoretical, policy analysis, etc.), in the field of security studies. Articles will be judged according to four criteria: 1) contribution to security studies scholarship, 2) international security policy significance, 3) rigor in approach and analysis, 4) power of expression and originality in substance and approach.

Nomination Process: Nomination packets should include an electronic copy of the article published in 2025 and a nomination letter of no more than 500 words. Submit materials to the Committee Chair, Šumit Ganguly at sumit2@stanford.edu.

Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026

Award Committee

Name	Affiliation	Email
Šumit Ganguly (Chair)	Stanford University	sumit2@stanford.edu
Christina Lai	Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica	clai@gate.sinica.edu.tw
Charles Boehmer	University of Texas at El Paso	crboehmer@utep.edu