American Politics Group

Site of the American Politics Group of the UK Political Studies Association

The Richard E. Neustadt Paper Prize

The APG awards the Richard E. Neustadt Paper Prize to the best paper in the field of US government and politics presented by a postgraduate student at the annual APG conference. The prize is worth 100 pounds and is open to postgraduate students registered at UK universities and to papers authored singularly and jointly by postgraduates. Papers co-authored with established academic staff are not eligible. Papers authored by postgraduates who have a permanent academic post or are in a tenure-track post are not eligible. The prize is awarded at the annual APG Conference in January.

The 2025 prize was won by Gil Sharon for his paper ‘The far-right appealing strategies on TikTok around the 2024 US election.’ Speaking about winning the award Gil said:

‘The 51st Annual APG Conference was a remarkable experience for an Americophile like myself. The papers presented were fascinating and offered valuable insights into various aspects of American politics. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share preliminary ideas from my PhD research with such a welcoming and supportive community of American Studies scholars. Meeting and exchanging ideas with incredible individuals in the field was truly inspiring. I am sincerely grateful to have been awarded the Richard E. Neustadt Paper Prize at this conference. I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers and all who contributed to the success of this remarkable event.’

Gil Sharon

The 2020 prize was won by Josephine Harmon for her paper ‘Coalitional Dynamics Among Diverse Conservative Interest Groups in Second Amendment Litigation.’. Commenting on winning the prize Josephine said:

‘Winning the Richard E. Neustadt Paper Prize 2020 for my paper on interest groups and strategic behaviour was a wonderful experience. I was delighted to be awarded this prize in our annual conference at the University of Kent. The papers that came before me are thought-provoking and I was honoured to be included among them. The prize gave me the opportunity to share the findings of my research with colleagues and receive valuable feedback. The American Politics Group has been an excellent association for scholars of American politics since 1974. As a regular attendee and board member, this was a great end to a brilliant conference. I’m grateful for the committee and look forward to seeing the papers that come after!’

Previous winners

  • RECENT YEARS
  • 2025: Gil Sharon (Leeds University), ‘The far-right appealing strategies on TikTok around the 2024 US election.’
  • 2024: Berfin Necimoglu
  • 2021 & 2022: Sadly cancelled due to logistical issues arsing from the Covid-19 pandemic
  • 2020: Josephine Harmon (UCL), ‘Coalitional Dynamics Among Diverse Conservative Interest Groups in Second Amendment Litigation.’
  • 2018: Sarah Gilhooly (Keele)
  • 2017: Tom Robinson (St Anne’s College, University of Oxford), ‘Cannabis Coalitions: Cooperation Across Institutional Borders.’ 
  • 2016: Louisa Hotson (Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford), ‘Professional pessimism: the growth and fragmentation of American Political Science in the 1960s.’

If you were a recipient of this prize and are not listed here, please get in touch: p.finn@kingston.ac.uk