In 2014, the International Association of Centres for Federal Studies (IACFS) established the Young Scholar Award, an annual prize for the best article or paper on an aspect of federalism by a young researcher. In 2015, this award was renamed in honor of Ronald L. Watts.

Eligibility

Only researchers endorsed and nominated by an IACFS member centre are eligible. This includes full-time researchers, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral students, as well as former students. The age limit is 35 years at the time of submitting the application.

Applicants are invited to submit a journal-length article (8,000 – 10,000 words) on a topic related to an aspect of federalism. The topic does not need to be linked to the theme of the IACFS annual conference. The paper must be an original work and written in English. It may have already been submitted for publication or published within the past twelve months preceding the submission.

Process

The applicant submits their paper to the director of an IACFS member centre, who may nominate up to three candidates. The director then submits the nominations and papers via email to ronaldwattsaward@eurac.edu by 30 April 2025.

Award

For 2025, the award comprises a return flight to the IACFS annual conference in Mexico City, Mexico, in September 2025, plus three nights of accommodation, and a certificate. The award winner will be invited to present their paper at the conference.

For further information and queries, please visit www.iacfs.org and contact Professor Eva Maria Belser (evamaria.belser@unifr.ch) or ronaldwattsaward@eurac.edu.