2026 Early Career Scholar Competition Results
Hellenic Observatory & Greek Politics Specialist Group: Early Career Scholar Competition
2026 Prize for Best Research Article in Greek Politics
The LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece & Cyprus – Hellenic Observatory and the Greek Politics Specialist Group (GPSG) are pleased to announce the winner of the 2026 Early Career Scholar Competition for the Best Research Article in the Field of Greek Politics.
The 2026 prize is awarded to Mr Spyros Bouzoukis for his paper titled “The Greek decision to pursue a more active policy in the Middle East, 1955-56: Cyprus, the Baghdad Pact, and the need to counter Turkey”. Mr Bouzoukis is a PhD Candidate in Modern and Contemporary Greek History at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In awarding the prize, the committee noted that Mr Bouzoukis’ article “offers fresh and original insights into Greece’s Middle Eastern policy and the Cyprus question during the 1950s, making a significant contribution to our understanding of a critical period in modern Greek foreign policy.”
The Prize Committee would also like to commend Mr Giorgos Tsiknakis, MSc in Political Science at Leiden University, for his submission of a promising research article entitled "Social Capital, Economic Performance, and Political Trust in Times of Crisis".
The 2026 competition attracted a strong field of submissions, reflecting both the quality and breadth of current research being undertaken by emerging scholars in Greek politics and related fields. The Committee would like to thank all participants for their original contributions.
About the Prize
The Early Career Scholar Competition is jointly organised by the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece & Cyprus – Hellenic Observatory and the Greek Politics Specialist Group (GPSG) of the Political Studies Association. The prize recognises outstanding research by early career scholars and aims to support and promote new contributions to the study of Greek politics and related fields.