Susan Strange Best Book Prize 2026 shortlist announced

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for this year’s Susan Strange Best Book Prize. Four excellent books made the list, and these will be judged by a committee appointed by Professor Jack Holland. 

Jack said:

"We always assess an incredibly strong set of contenders for the Susan Strange Best Book Prize, but this year was exceptional, with almost fifty nominations! This made shortlisting particularly challenging, with excellent and important books necessarily missing out."

"The strength and pluralism of nominations was heartening. The books covered a wide range of topics, theories, methods, and challenges, spanning the entire discipline. In different ways, the shortlisted books all push at the frontiers of the discipline. They were selected due to their originality, innovation, and contribution to scholarship. We offer our warm congratulations to the shortlisted authors, and thanks to those dedicated colleagues who have helped in this process."

Here are the books which made the shortlist (in alphabetical order by book title):

• Entanglements in World Politics: The Power of Uncertainty, by Peter Katzenstein (Cambridge University Press)
• Erased: A History of International Thought Without Men, by Patricia Owens (Princeton University Press)
• Exit from International Organizations: Costly Negotiation for Institutional Change, by Inken von Borzyskowski and Felicity Vabulas (Cambridge University Press)
• The Making of International Status, by Marina Duque (Oxford University Press).

All books were published in 2025. 

The Susan Strange Best Book Prize is awarded for an outstanding book published in any field of International Studies. The aim of the Prize is to honour the work of Susan Strange and to recognise outstanding current work being conducted in the discipline. 

The winner will be announced at our annual conference on 3-5 June 2026 in Brighton. Book your place now.

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash