Awards

In collaboration with NKWP we award two prizes each year:

The jury of the Els Witte Annual Prize for Political Science awards the best PhD dissertation in political science (and related disciplines). For the 2025 prize, the dissertation needs to be defended in 2024 at a Belgian / Dutch university or elsewhere, but relates to Dutch or Belgian politics.

For the Daniël Heinsius Thesis Prize, lecturers and students from the Netherlands and Belgium can nominate a master thesis with the mark of 8 or higher (16/20).

More information about nominating procedures and deadlines will follow. The prizes will be awarded during the Politicologenetmaal 2025.

Laureates 2024:

Els Witte Jaarprijs: dr. Imogen T. Liu (Maastricht University) & dr. Emma Turkenburg (KU Leuven)

Daniël Heinsius Thesisprijs: Richard Embrechts (University of Antwerp) & Famke Veenstra (Radboud University Nijmegen)

Laureates 2023:

dr. Charlotte de Roon (University of Leiden)

Agnes Vermeer (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Laureates 2022:

dr. Lala Muradova (KU Leuven)

Danai Petropoulou Ionescu (Maastricht University)

Laureates 2021:
dr. Thomas Jacobs (Ghent University)
Melisa Muric (University of Antwerp)

Online award ceremony (starts around 1h 05min, after keynote lecture at the Virtual Politicologenetmaal 2021)

Laureates 2020:
dr. David Bokhorst (University of Amsterdam) 
Laure van Megen (Leiden University)

Laureates 2019:
dr. Koen Damhuis (European University Institute) 
Lea Smidt (Maastricht University)

Laureates 2018:
dr. Fransje Molenaar (Leiden, Clingendael)
Hayo Raaphorst (Maastricht University)

Laureates 2017:
dr. Eefje Steenvoorden (UvA, Assistant Professor Erasmus Univeristy)
Louke Huijzer (UvA)   

Laureates 2016:
dr. Ruth Dassonneville (KU Leuven, docent Université de Montréal)
dr. Paul van Hooft (Universiteit van Amsterdam, Max Weber Fellow EUI)
Amélie Godefroidt (KU Leuven)

Laureates 2015:
dr. Ann-Kristin Kölln (Twente, Associate Professor University Aarhus)
Patrice Wangen (Maastricht, European University Institute)

Laureates 2014:
dr. Wouter Veenendaal (Leiden, Assistant Professor Leiden)
dr. Matthijs Rooduijn (UvAmsterdam, Assistant Professor UvA)
Zoran Lazic (UvAmsterdam, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Laureates 2013:
dr. Gijs Schumacher (VU Amsterdam, Assistant Professor University of Amsterdam)
Femke Avtalyon Bakker (Leiden)

Laureates 2012:
dr. Marlies Casier (U Gent, Visiting Professor U Gent)
Debby Vos (Universiteit Antwerpen, Rekenhof)