The American Judicature Society Award
The American Judicature Society Award is given annually for the best paper on law and courts presented at the previous year's annual meetings of the American, Midwest, Northeastern, Southern, Southwestern, or Western Political Science Associations. Single- and co-authored papers, written by political scientists, are eligible. Papers may be nominated by any member of the Section. The award carries a cash prize of $100. A committee of three, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is February 1.

The CQ Press Award
The CQ Press Award is given annually for the best paper on law and courts written by a graduate student. To be eligible the nominated paper must have been written by a full-time graduate student. Single- and co-authored papers are eligible. In the case of co-authored papers, each author must have been a full-time graduate student at the time the paper was written. Papers may have been written for any purpose (e.g., seminars, scholarly meetings, potential publication in scholarly journals). This is not a thesis or dissertation competition. Papers may be nominated by faculty members or by the students themselves. The papers must have been written during the twelve months previous to the nomination deadline. The award carries a cash prize of $200. A committee of three, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is February 1.

The C. Herman Pritchett Award
The C. Herman Pritchett award is given annually for the best book on law and courts written by a political scientist and published the previous year. Case books and edited books are not eligible. Books may be nominated by publishers or by members of the Section, The award carries a cash prize of $250. A committee of three, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is February 1.

The Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a distinguished career of scholarly achievement and service to the Law and Courts field. Nominees must be political scientists who are at least 65 years of age or who have been active in the field for at least 25 years. Nominations from previous competitions will be carried forward to the current year's competition. The committee will retain nominations for 3 years, but one may re-nominate an individual and renew the materials in the file. Nominations may be made by any member of the Section and should consist of a statement outlining the contributions of the nominee and, if possible, the nominee's vitae. A committee of five, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is January 1.

Wadsworth Publishing Award
(formerly The Harcourt College Publishers Award)
The Wadsworth Publishing Award is given annually for a book or journal article, 10 years or older, that has made a lasting impression on the field of law and courts. Only books and articles written by political scientists are eligible; single-authored works produced by winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award are not eligible. The award carries a cash prize of $250. Any member of the Section may submit a nomination. The nomination should include a statement outlining the nature of the contribution of the nominated work. A committee of three, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is February 1.

The Houghton Mifflin Award (formerly the McGraw-Hill Award)
The Houghton Mifflin Award recognizes the best journal article on law and courts written by a political scientist and published during the previous calendar year. Articles published in all refereed journals and in law reviews are eligible, but book reviews, review essays, and chapters published in edited volumes are not eligible. Journal editors and members of the section may nominate articles. A committee of three, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is February 1.

Teaching and Mentoring Award
The Committee selects the winner of the Teaching and Mentoring Award, which recognizes innovative teaching and instructional methods and materials in law and courts. The Teaching and Mentoring Award recognizes innovation in instruction in law and courts. Examples of innovations that might be recognized by this award include (but are not limited to) outstanding textbooks, web sites, classroom exercises, syllabi, or other devices designed to enhance the transmission of knowledge about law and courts to undergraduate or graduate students. The Teaching and Mentoring Award is supported by a contribution from the Division for Public Education of the American Bar Association.

Any member of the section may make a nomination for the Teaching and Mentoring Award by submitting to each member of the award committee a statement identifying the nominee and outlining the nature of the nominee's innovation and the contribution it makes to achieving the purposes of the award (e-mail attachments, in the form of .pdf files, are acceptable). A committee of three, appointed by the Section chair, selects the winner. The deadline for nominations is February 1.