WAPOR Awards Policy

Approved by the WAPOR Council on July 28, 2024

1. The Goals of the WAPOR Award Program

The goals of the Award Program are to (a) stimulate excellence in research, (b) encourage attendance at the annual conference, (c) encourage students to join the field of public opinion research, (d) include more students in the conference, and (c) honor individuals who have had a role in shaping our profession.

2. Legacy Awards:

2.1 WAPOR maintains four yearly Legacy Awards for outstanding achievements in the field of survey research. These Awards were founded decades ago and supported by endowments. Each Award is funded from the proceeds from WAPOR Award Fund. The amounts paid for each Award can be changed by the Council. The Legacy Awards are announced at the WAPOR annual conference if there are suitable applicants.

2.2. A list of Legacy Awards

2.2.1. The WAPOR life-long achievement Award (Helen Dinerman Award), ($3,000 plus a travel stipend covering conference attendance up to $2,000, if applicable) has been maintained since 1981, honors particularly significant contributions to survey research methodology. The Award is in memory of Helen Dinerman’s scientific achievements over three decades of public opinion research.

2.2.2. The WAPOR best journal paper Award (Robert M. Worcester Prize) for the year’s outstanding paper contributed to the International Journal of Public Opinion Research. ($1,000) This Award has been maintained since 1989.

2.2.3. The WAPOR society in transition Award (Elizabeth H. Nelson Prize), ($1,500) founded in 1995, is presented to the best paper written and presented at the annual conference by one or more persons from a society in transition (World Bank Tiers C and D). This prize was endowed by WAPOR past president Elizabeth Nelson(1991-1992).

2.2.4. WAPOR best student paper Award (The Naomi C. Turner Prize) ($1,000) founded in 1995, 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.

3. AD HOC Awards

3.1. In addition to Legacy Awards, WAPOR may give the following Ad Hoc Awards each year, depending on available funding by decision of Finance Committee.

3.2. As a rule, all Ad Hoc Awards are financed from the WAPOR Global Development Fund if the funds are available.

3.3. In exceptional cases, some Ad Hoc Awards may be funded from the proceeds from WAPOR Award Fund, if there’s residual investment income available after funding WAPOR Legacy Awards.

3.4. A list of AD HOC Awards:

3.4.1. The Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award, founded in 2013, is given in memory of Dr. Janet A. Harkness, internationally recognized for her contributions to cross-cultural survey methodology ($750 and conference registration fee waiver). The Award is open both to current students (graduate or undergraduate) and to recent graduates (previous academic year) who present a paper at the WAPOR annual conference. Paper topics must be related to the study of multi-national/multi-regional/multi-cultural survey research (aka 3M survey research), or to the theory and methods of 3M survey research, including statistics and statistical techniques used in such research.

Paper topics might include:
(a) methodological and/or statistical issues in 3M surveys;
(b) public opinion in 3M settings;
(c) theoretical issues in the formation, quality, or change in 3M public opinion; and/or
(d) substantive findings about 3M public opinion.

3.4.2. The Alexis de Tocqueville Award, ($500) was founded in 2022, is given 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.

4. Principles for Creating, Funding and Terminating Awards

4.1. Establishing new Awards and discontinuing old Awards should be approved by the Council.

4.2. New Awards should meet the goals outlined above for strengthening the Association.

4.3. New Awards must be financially sustainable based on an initial endowment by those initiating it or subsequent contributions specifically aimed at that Award.

4.4. New Awards may be funded in perpetuity or with a sunset provision. For example, a $1,000 Award funded with $10,000, would sunset after 10 Awards are given.

4.5. No Award can be funded from WAPOR’s general funds or revenues from the annual conference.

4.6. No Award can be established without approval of WAPOR Finance Committee.

4.7. WAPOR will maintain generally accepted accounting practices which will document the initial endowment, subsequent contributions (if any), returns on investment for those funds, and amounts paid out.

4.8. If the Award is no longer financially sustainable, WAPOR will inform the initial and subsequent supporters and provide them with six months to contribute sufficiently to the fund for that Award. If the funds are not forthcoming at six months, the fund will be suspended pending additional funding.

4.9. If a suspended fund has not received additional funding after one year (a total of 18 months since the initial determination of being insolvent) in sufficient amount to resume the Award, then the fund will be terminated, with any residual money transferred to GDF.

4.10. While no one can guarantee investment returns, the following approach reflects the long-term performance of the market and the need for a conservative approach by a non-profit professional association. We will assume a rate of return on our investments of the US CPI+2p.p. per year, with WAPOR absorbing all fees related to the management of the endowment. For example, with the US CPI at 3%, for an Award of $1,000 to be potentially sustainable in perpetuity, the expected initial endowment is $20,000.

5. WAPOR Award Fund

5.1. A list of Awards with prize amounts should be prepared by the Finance Committee at the beginning of each calendar year based on WAPOR investment performance As a rule, WAPOR will strive to maintain Award size.

5.2. In the WAPOR internal accounts, all WAPOR investments starting from June 2024 will be divided into two parts: 1. The WAPOR Award Fund in amount of $200,000 2. The Operational Fund (all remaining WAPOR investments, appx $270,000). At the end of each reporting period (monthly or quarterly), the size of each fund is updated using the following formula:

Delta = Total WAPOR investments on current date – Total WAPOR investments on previous date

Award % = Award Fund / Total WAPOR investments.

WAPOR Awards fund on current date = WAF on the previous reporting date + Delta* Award%

WAPOR Operational fund = Total Investments – Awards Fund.

5.3. In our agreement with the investment advisor, Award Fund and Operational fund will not be separated and will be managed as one account.

5.4. Proceeds from the Award Fund cannot be used to any other purposes except or funding the Awards.

5.5. The Executive Director and Secretary-Treasurer are responsible for keeping the record of any new endowments donated to WAPOR for maintaining Awards and all Award payments made.

5.6. New endowments can be added to the WAPOR investment account. For each new endowment a separate record must be kept. The sum of endowments should be assessed at least once a year based on the investment performance. Any investment income yielded by an endowment counts towards the sum of endowment.

5.7. Award endowments cannot be used to cover WAPOR operational expenses in any circumstances.