The International Society of Political Psychology first awarded the Best Dissertation Award at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Paris.
This award was made possible by a generous gift from David Redlawsk and Aletia Morgan.
All Ph.D. dissertations within the field of political psychology are eligible for consideration, regardless of home discipline. Dissertations should represent an independent piece of research that is the sole work of the author and gains the highest degree at the author’s university.
Submissions are for dissertations completed and successfully defended between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of the prior calendar year. Nominees must be current ISPP members.
How to Nominate:
All nominations should be submitted electronically and must include the following: A one-page abstract (300 words), a 10-page (3,000 word) summary of the dissertation, and a letter of recommendation from the thesis adviser or committee member, all in English. To complete a nomination, simply send these materials to the Committee Chair by the deadline.
2024 Award Committee:
Chair: Eva Green, University of Lausanne
Committee: Erin Cassese (University of Delaware) and Yasemin Gulsum Acar (University of Dundee)
THE NOMINATION PROCESS FOR 2024 is CLOSED! The deadline for nominations was extended to 15 February 2024.
Winners will be notified by early April 2024.
Current Winners
Best Dissertation Award
Hanna Szekeres, Eötvös Loránd University
For “The failure to confront prejudice”
Hanna Szekeres is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Social Psychology at Eötvös Loránd University. Her outstanding thesis, "The failure to confront prejudice," delves into the profound intergroup consequences of bystanders' inaction against prejudice. Through a series of experimental and longitudinal studies conducted in the U.S. and Hungary, she unveils a significant finding - those who had the opportunity to confront prejudice but chose not to, endorsed more negative outgroup attitudes compared to the control group and even their initial attitudes. This tendency seemingly emerged as a justification for their prior inaction.
Impressively, Prof. Szekeres also developed an effective intervention that encouraged people to speak up against prejudice, resulting in positive behavioral changes in confronting discriminatory acts. Her work, published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, showcases her rigorous approach and methodological expertise.
By demonstrating how unaddressed prejudice perpetuates and intensifies in society, Prof. Szekeres has made a substantial theoretical and methodological contribution to the literature. Her innovative research offers valuable insights into combating prejudice and fostering intergroup harmony, further enriching the field of social psychology.
Past Winners
- 2023 Hanna Szekeres (Honorable Mentions: Edward Scott, Eric Shuman, Tom Nijs, Hannah Waldfogel)
- 2022 Anna Potoczek
- 2021 Kirill Zhirkov; Léïla Eisner
- 2020 Carly N. Wayne
- 2019 Miriam Lindner (Honorable Mentions: Femke Bakker and Jasper van Assche)
- 2018 Frank Gonzalez (Honorable Mention: Cecil Meeusen)
- 2017 Allison Anoll (Honorable Mention: Ozden Melis Ulug and Hannah Nam)
- 2016 Smadar Cohen-Chen (Honorable Mention: Eun Bin Chung)
- 2015 Julie Wronski (Honorable Mentions: Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington, Susanne Veit)
- 2014 Kizzy Gandy (Honorable Mentions: Joshua David Kertzer, Emma O’Dwyer)
- 2013 Jonathan Renshon
- 2012 Michael Quayle
- 2011 Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom
- 2010 Johanna Vollhardt
- 2009 Sam Pehrson
- 2008 Alina Oxendine