Critical Military Studies Working Group inaugural thesis prize 

The Critical Military Studies Working Group is delighted to announce its inaugural thesis prize, to be awarded for the best doctoral thesis on critical military studies. 

The Prize is sponsored by the Critical Military Studies (CMS) Working Group in collaboration with the Edinburgh University Press (EUP) Advances in Critical Military Studies book series.

The winning thesis will be chosen by a panel nominated by the conveners of the CMS working group and the co-editors of the EUP Advances in Critical Military Studies series.

The winner of the thesis prize will be offered the opportunity to meet with the EUP Advances in Critical Military Studies series editors and potentially submit the thesis for consideration for publication with Edinburgh University Press.

The prize will be awarded at the 2026 BISA annual conference.

Eligibility

• Theses must have been submitted in the past three years (on or after 1 March 2023)
• For the purposes of this award, ‘critical military studies’ is broadly and interdisciplinarily conceived, but award-winning theses will make a significant contribution to debates in this field
• The thesis needs to be an original, unpublished work and must not be under review elsewhere
• Applicants do not need to be BISA members, and they are not required to attend the 2026 annual conference.

How to apply

• Please send the thesis with a short biography (150 words) and a CV to cmsgroup@bisa.ac.uk.
• Letters of recommendation are not required; self-submission is encouraged.

Deadline: 7 April 2026.

We look forward to your application!

Laura Mills, Alice Cree, Hannah Richards & Gabi Almeida Costa - BISA Critical Military Studies Working Group Convenors

Sarah Bulmer & Victoria Basham - Edinburgh University Press Advances in Critical Military Studies series co-editors