Social Issues Dissertation Award

The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) offers the Social Issues Dissertation Award to encourage excellence in socially relevant research. This annual award recognizes outstanding doctoral dissertations in psychology or social sciences with psychological subject matter that demonstrate scientific excellence and potential application to social problems. The award is open to any doctoral dissertation accepted between March 1st of the previous year and the current year's deadline. Applicants must have successfully defended their dissertation prior to the award deadline. A first prize of $1,000 and a second prize of $500 are awarded annually to the dissertations that best demonstrate scientific excellence and potential application to social problems. Applicants are required to submit a 500-word summary of their dissertation including the title, rationale, methods, results, and implications for social problems, along with a cover sheet containing contact information and university details. Finalists are later asked to provide certification from their dissertation advisor of the acceptance date and a full electronic copy of the dissertation. The award cycle runs annually with a May 1st deadline. Initial notifications are sent by July 13th, and final decisions are announced by September 1st. Applicants may only submit one paper to one SPSSI award per year and cannot submit to the Dissertation Prize twice.