APSA Early Career Essay Prize 

Prize. The APSA Early Career Essay Prize is aimed at spotlighting the works of young scholars from and in Asia. The winner will also be invited to participate in the APSA Essay Prize Plenary Session, comprising a 1 hour talk inclusive of Q&A. 

The winner will receive up to SGD2,500 to cover economy travel, accommodation, and conference registration for the APSA conference.  Reimbursement requires receipts and must comply with relevant travel policies.

How to submit. Upload an anonymized PDF of your essay when submitting your abstracts to Oxford Abstract , under the ‘APSA Early Career Essay Prize: Essay Submission’ question (https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/79846/submitter).

Eligibility & Scope

  • Topic. Essays must be on philosophy of science (broadly construed).
  • Who may apply. Open to scholars worldwide. Additional consideration will be given (among comparably meritorious submissions) to:
    • authors from or based in Asia; and
    • early-career researchers (doctoral candidates or ≤ 5 years post-PhD).
  • Co-authorship not allowed. 
  • One submission per author (authors may appear on at most one submission).

Format & Word Count

  • 5000-8000 words, including the main text and footnotes/endnotes. Excludes title, abstract, headers, references, and any optional appendix.
  • Include title, abstract, and word count on the first page.
  • PDF, 12-point readable font, 1.5 or double spacing, ~1-inch margins.
  • Language: English.
  • Blinding: remove names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and self-identifying references (use “Author (YEAR)” in citations where needed). File name should not contain author identifiers.

Originality

  • Submissions must be the author’s original work, unpublished, and not accepted nor under review elsewhere.

Review & Decision

  • Double-blind review by at least two reviewers plus editorial decision by the Program Committee.
  • Reviewers assess intellectual merit (originality, clarity, argumentative rigor, significance to philosophy of science). Where essays are of comparable merit, the committee may give additional consideration based on region and career stage as noted above.
  • Conflicts of interest will be managed via recusal.
  • The committee may withhold the prize or name honourable mention(s).
  • Notification: by end-April 2026.

Prize Conditions

  • The winner must register for, attend, and present at the APSA Essay Prize Plenary Session at APSA26 (Jul 22–24, 2026). If the winner cannot attend, APSA may reassign the prize.
  • Reimbursement covers eligible, receipted expenses up to SGD2,500; institutional support must be disclosed and may reduce the reimbursable amount to avoid double funding. Local winners without travel costs may receive coverage of registration and reasonable accommodation only. Taxes, if any, are the recipient’s responsibility.
  • By accepting, the winner grants APSA permission to announce the result and to post the title/abstract (and, with consent, the full paper).
  • The winner will have their paper published in the APSA26: Selected Papers, an edited volume to be published by Springer as part of the Asian Studies in the Philosophy of Science.