WAPOR awards and prizes are intended to recognize significant accomplishments in the Public Opinion field. Specifically, we encourage future advancements through student awards and yearly accomplishments for exemplary papers and presentations at the annual conference. 

Naomi Turner Prize: This 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 $1000.

Elizabeth Nelson Prize that 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, C or D). This prize was endowed by WAPOR past president Elizabeth Nelson who was president of WAPOR from 1991-1992. The author(s) will receive $1500.

Alexis de Tocqueville Award that is given annually for the best conference paper concerned with democracy and public opinion, whether in a consolidated or in an emerging democracy. De Tocqueville is best known for his still highly cited book On Democracy in America. A panel of public opinion scholars drawn from WAPOR’s membership will judge submissions. The de Tocqueville Award, founded jointly by three WAPOR Presidents (Marita Carballo, Claire Durand and Timothy Johnson), comes with a $500 prize.

Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award: The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) and the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) request submissions to be considered for the Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award, as part of the program for WAPOR’s annual conference in 2025. This award is given in memory of Dr. Harkness, distinguished cross-cultural survey methodologist, who passed away in 2012. 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. In addition to a $750 cash prize, the conference registration fee will be waived for the winner(s).

Submission: For the prizes above, the author(s) will have had their abstract accepted for presentation to the WAPOR 78^th Annual Conference. Authors will then submit their full papers electronically (send to waporoffice@gmail.com) by the deadline of March 31, 2025.

Entries are expected to be approximately 15 to 25 pages in length, font Times New Roman 12, double-spaced. References citation format: APA.  Lengthy tables or other statistical calculations (over 1 page length) should be included in an appendix. The appendix is not counted towards the overall paper length. The paper may have multiple authors; every co-author is required to meet the eligibility criteria (if specified). Information about the authors should be included on the first page of the manuscript, indicating name, affiliation, and contact details.

A panel of researchers from WAPOR’s membership–drawn from the academic, government, and commercial sectors–will evaluate the submissions. Competitors will be notified of a decision prior to the start of the annual conference. Every award committee reserve the right not to give an award. The same paper can be nominated only for one award at a time.

Other awards to be given at the upcoming WAPOR 78^th Annual Conference include:

• Helen Dinerman Award: Given since 1981, this award honors particularly significant contributions to survey research methodology. The award, presented annually to an individual or individuals, is in memory of Helen Dinerman’s scientific achievements over three decades of public opinion research. Recent recipients of the award include Takashi Inoguchi, Mitchell Seligson, Juan Díez Nicolás, Michael Traugott, Christian Haerpfer, Daniel Kahneman, and Hans-Dieter Klingemann. The award comes with a cash prize of $3,000 plus a travel stipend covering conference attendance up to $2,000, if applicable.
• Robert M. Worcester Prize: Given for the previous year’s outstanding paper contributed to the International Journal of Public Opinion Research. An award committee appointed by the WAPOR council, with input from the IJPOR editorial board, selects the winning article. The award is given at the award ceremony at the WAPOR annual conference. This prize was endowed by Sir Robert Worcester. Sir Robert was president of WAPOR from 1983-1984. The author(s) will receive $1000.