Teaching Awards & Recognition

APSA recognizes and celebrates excellence in teaching by presenting faculty with awards for their excellence in teaching.

APSA Campus Teaching Award Recognition

Colleges and universities recognize exceptional teaching by presenting faculty members with awards for teaching excellence. The American Political Science Association values excellence in teaching political science and recognizes faculty achievements in teaching.

Each year, APSA recognizes political science faculty who have received teaching awards from their own colleges or universities during the past academic year. APSA will feature the winners and titles of their awards in the August issue of Political Science Today.

Submit information about campus teaching award winners by August 15th, 2025!

Previous Campus Teaching Award Winners:

APSA Distinguished Teaching Award

The APSA Distinguished Teaching Award honors the outstanding contribution to undergraduate and graduate teaching of political science at two- and four-year institutions. The contribution may span several years or an entire career, or it may be a single project of exceptional impact. The award carries a $1,000 prize. View complete information about this award here.

APSA Award for Teaching Innovation

The APSA Award for Teaching Innovation honors a wide range of new directions in teaching. The award carries a cash prize of $500 and is presented at the APSA Annual Meeting or the APSA Teaching and Learning Conference, depending on the year. View complete information about this award here.

APSA Community College Faculty Award

The APSA Community College Award recognizes a person or persons who have made exemplary contributions to advance the multi-faceted goals of community college faculty.

The award identifies the contributions of faculty for the advancement of: the creation of innovative curriculum, creative teaching, promoting equity in mentorship, advancing civic and community engagement, participating in institutional shared governance, and/or promoting research. The award is presented at the APSA Annual Meeting and carries a cash prize of $750. View complete information about this award here.

APSA Distinguished Award for Civic and Community Engagement

The APSA Distinguished Award for Civic and Community Engagement honors significant civic or community engagement activity by a political scientist, alone or in collaboration with others, which explicitly merges knowledge and practice and goes beyond research to have an impact outside of the profession or the academy.

The award is presented at the APSA Annual Meeting and carries a $1,000 honorarium. View complete information about this award here.