Prizes and Awards

Conference participants can submit their paper for one of the several prizes to be awarded during the Awards Banquet on November 12. Submissions are accepted for the following nominations:


  • The Elizabeth Nelson Prize is presented to the best paper written and presented at the annual conference by one or more persons from a society in transition (tiers B or C). This prize was endowed by WAPOR past president Liz Nelson. Liz was president of WAPOR from 1991-1992. Submission: The author(s) will have had their abstract accepted for presentation to the WAPOR 75th Annual Conference. Authors will then submit their completed papers electronically by the deadline of September 30. Entries are expected to be approximately 15 to 25 pages in length and may have multiple authors. All authors on an entry must meet the eligibility requirements for the award. A panel of researchers from WAPOR’s membership–drawn from the academic, government, and commercial sectors–will judge submissions. Competitors will be notified of a decision prior to the start of the annual conference. The committees reserve the right not to give an award.


  • The Naomi C. Turner Prize honors the best paper written and presented at the annual conference by a student(s). This prize was endowed by WAPOR past president Fred Turner in memory of his mother. Fred was president of WAPOR from 1989-1990. The author(s) will receive $500. Submission: The author(s) will have had their abstract accepted for presentation to the WAPOR 75th Annual Conference. Authors will then submit their completed papers electronically by the deadline of September 30. Entries are expected to be approximately 15 to 25 pages in length and may have multiple authors. All authors on an entry must meet the eligibility requirements for the award. A panel of researchers from WAPOR’s membership–drawn from the academic, government, and commercial sectors–will judge submissions. Competitors will be notified of a decision prior to the start of the annual conference. The committees reserve the right not to give an award.


  • The Alexis de Tocqueville Award is given, starting from 2022, annually for the best paper concerned with democracy and public opinion, whether in a consolidated or in an emerging democracy. De Tocqueville is best known for his book On Democracy in America, in which he expressed concern that democracy could become a dictatorship of public opinion and questioned the place of elites and experts within a governmental system where everyone is assumed to be equal. A panel of public opinion scholars drawn from WAPOR’s membership will judge submissions. The de Tocqueville Award comes with a $500 prize. Submission: For the de Tocqueville Award, the author(s) will have had their abstract accepted for presentation to the WAPOR 75th Annual Conference. Authors will then submit their completed papers electronically by the deadline of October 30. Entries are expected to be approximately 15 to 25 pages in length and may have multiple authors. All authors on an entry must meet the eligibility requirements for the award.


Submissions should be sent by email to waporoffice@gmail.com

For the complete list of WAPOR prizes and awards, please, see the main WAPOR organization's website: https://wapor.org/events/annual-conference/awards-funds/