Nominations open for the Emma Hutchison Book Prize for Emotions in World Politics 2027
The Emotions in Politics and International Relations (EPIR) Working Group, in collaboration with Professor Roland Bleiker, is delighted to announce the inaugural Emma Hutchison Book Prize for Emotions in World Politics.
The prize honours the intellectual legacy of Emma Hutchison, whose pioneering scholarship transformed how we understand the significance of emotions, affect, trauma, representation and lived experiences in world politics.
Beyond her remarkable scholarly contributions, Emma was deeply committed to mentoring, encouraging and creating space for emerging scholars. Established in this spirit, the prize celebrates outstanding scholarship by early career researchers and seeks to foster the intellectual curiosity, creativity and generosity that characterised Emma's work and engagement with the academic community.
The Emma Hutchison Book Prize recognises an outstanding published monograph by an early-career scholar that makes an original and significant contribution to the study of emotions in politics and international relations.
The prize welcomes diverse theoretical, empirical, methodological and interdisciplinary approaches, recognising scholarship that advances our understanding of how emotions shape, sustain and transform political life.
The inaugural prize will be awarded at the BISA Annual Conference 2027 in Manchester.
Nominations and eligibility
Nominations are invited for scholarly monographs that meet the following criteria:
- Publication date: The book must have been published within the previous two calendar years. For the inaugural 2027 prize, eligible books must have been published in 2025 or 2026.
- Early-career status: Authors must be within seven years of their PhD viva at the time of nomination. Extensions will be considered to account for parental leave, caring responsibilities, illness, career breaks and other circumstances affecting academic career progression.
- Authorship: Single-authored and co-authored monographs are eligible. For co-authored books, all authors must meet the early-career eligibility requirements.
- Language: Books must be available in English, either as originally published works or as English-language translations. Translated monographs are eligible provided the original work was published within the specified eligibility period and an English-language edition is available by the nomination deadline.
- Type of publication: The prize is open to scholarly monographs, including first and subsequent books. Edited collections, textbooks and revised editions of previously published books are not eligible.
- Disciplinary scope: The prize welcomes scholarship from International Relations, Political Science and related disciplines, provided the book makes a substantive contribution to understanding emotions, affect or related dimensions of politics and international relations.
- Nominations: Self-nominations are welcome. Each individual may nominate one book per award cycle.
The prize particularly welcomes scholarship that engages with emotions, affect, relationality, trauma, memory, aesthetics, embodiment, care and lived experience in world politics. This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive, and books need not adopt any particular theoretical or methodological approach to be eligible.
How to nominate a book
Nominations should be sent to: epir.group@bisa.ac.uk
Nominators will be asked to provide:
- The title, author(s), publisher and publication year of the nominated book.
- A short statement of up to 300 words explaining the book's significance and its contribution to the study of emotions in politics and international relations.
- The nominator's name and contact details.
- Confirmation that the nominated book meets the eligibility requirements.
- Digital copy of the book.
Self-nominations are welcome, and nominations may also be submitted by colleagues and other members of the academic community.
The deadline for nominations is 20 December 2026.
Information about providing copies of nominated books to the Prize Committee will be communicated following the submission of nominations.
Judging process and criteria
The prize will be administered by the BISA Emotions in Politics and International Relations Working Group.
A Prize Committee of three to five scholars will be appointed by the EPIR Working Group conveners, taking into account the intellectual, methodological and institutional diversity of the field.
The committee will evaluate nominated books through a two-stage process. Each eligible book will initially be assessed by at least two judges, after which a shortlist of approximately three to four books will be selected. All committee members without a relevant conflict of interest will then read the shortlisted books before reaching a final decision.
The committee's deliberations will be guided by five criteria:
- Conceptual and theoretical innovation: The originality, depth and significance of the book's conceptual or theoretical contribution.
- Empirical and methodological contribution: The quality, originality and rigour of the book's empirical and/or methodological approach, including, where relevant, its attentiveness to lived experience and the ethical complexities of research.
- Clarity and intellectual craft: The coherence, persuasiveness and quality of the book's argument, structure and writing.
- Contribution to emotions in world politics: The significance of the book's contribution to scholarly debates on emotions, affect and related dimensions of politics and international relations.
- Scholarly ambition and intellectual imagination: The extent to which the book challenges established assumptions, explores new perspectives or opens possibilities for further scholarship.
These criteria are intended as guides rather than a rigid template. They recognise that outstanding scholarship may take different forms and emerge from diverse theoretical, empirical and methodological traditions.
The committee will assess each book in relation to its intellectual aims and overall scholarly contribution.
The award
The winner of the inaugural Emma Hutchison Book Prize will be announced in 2027 and formally recognised at the BISA annual conference in Manchester.
The winning author will be invited to attend the conference and present their book at an event organised by the EPIR Working Group.
The prize includes financial support towards conference registration fees and travel costs, generously sponsored by Professor Roland Bleiker. The level of support will be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the winner's location, travel requirements and available funding. Financial support will be subject to an agreed maximum contribution and may not cover the full cost of attendance.
Further details regarding the funding arrangements will be communicated directly to the winner.
Key dates
- Nominations open - October 2026
- Deadline for nominations - 20 December 2026
- Initial evaluation - January–March 2027
- Shortlist selection - March 2027
- Final deliberations - March–April 2027
- Winner selected - Mid-April 2027
- Prize presentation - BISA annual conference 2027, Manchester
About the Emma Hutchison Book Prize
The Emma Hutchison Book Prize for Emotions in World Politics was established by the BISA Emotions in Politics and International Relations Working Group in collaboration with Professor Roland Bleiker.
The prize celebrates Emma Hutchison's enduring intellectual legacy and her commitment to supporting emerging scholars. By recognising outstanding early-career scholarship, it seeks to encourage innovative research, strengthen the study of emotions in world politics and contribute to a generous and inclusive international scholarly community.
We warmly encourage nominations and invite colleagues to share the call across their academic networks.
Nomination deadline: 20 December 2026.