The David N. Kershaw Award and Prize was established to honor persons who, before the age of 40, have made distinguished contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management. This award seeks to recognize original contributions to research-based knowledge that have advanced the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies. Eligibility is not contingent on disciplinary background, policy focus or academic credentials.
This prize is among the most prestigious and largest awards recognizing contributions to public policy and social science. Funding for the award comes from a memorial endowment established following the death of David N. Kershaw and managed by independent trustees. The precise age cut-off is having a 40th birthday no earlier than Dec 31 of the year prior to the award. For example a candidate for consideration of a 2025 Kershaw award would need to have been 39 on Dec 31, 2024.
The 2025 Award and Prize will be presented prominently at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s (APPAM’s) 2025 Annual Conference, which will be held in Seattle, WA on November 13-15, 2025. The recipient will receive a cash prize of $20,000 at the Awards Reception & Presidential Address.
2025 David N. Kershaw Recipient
Zachary Parolin
Professor of Social Policy, Inequality, and Opportunity at the University of Oxford
Zachary Parolin, Professor of Social Policy, Inequality, and Opportunity at the University of Oxford, will receive the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for his public policy contributions toward reducing hardship and expanding opportunity. Parolin, who also serves as director of the Economics, Inequality, and Opportunity program at INET Oxford and as a professorial fellow at Nuffield College, will be recognized at the upcoming 2025 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference. As the 25th recipient of the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize, Parolin will deliver the Kershaw Lecture during the conference.
Learn more about his contributions here.
Prior Award Recipients
The prior winners and their institutional affiliations at the time they won the award are as follows: