LSE Impact Prize

Applications are now open for the 2026 LSE Impact Prize, which recognises excellent engagement, impact, and impact culture across the School.

These prizes showcase and celebrate the inspiring engagement and impact work achieved across the School

Professor Elizabeth Stokoe, Academic Director of Impact

 

Impact is the benefit that LSE research brings about that leads to the betterment of society. The LSE Impact Prize recognises any type of impact across any pathway. 

Key details 

  • There are eight prize categories, which can be awarded to individuals or teams. 

  • Winners of most categories are awarded £7.5k, which must be used for future engagement and impact activities. 

  • The winner of the Spark Award receives £10k, with two runners up receiving £5k.

  • Applicants can apply directly, apply on behalf of someone else, or nominate somebody 

  • Applications are open to LSE employees in any job family (externals can’t receive monies but will be invited to the ceremony). 

  • All applicants will be invited to a prize-giving ceremony on Wednesday 24 June from 4-6pm

  • Application forms should be submitted to research.impact@lse.ac.uk by 5pm on Friday 8 May. 

Prize categories 

1. Outstanding individual impact: For excellence in impact achieved by an individual member of staff.

2. Outstanding team impact: For excellence in impact achieved working as a team of researchers, professional services, external non-academic organisations, and other parties. 

3. Outstanding PhD researcher impact: For excellence in impact achieved during or within a year of completing PhD research.
(Must be employed at LSE as a postdoc or Fellow or RA, if after end of PhD. Current PhD students must be at LSE for 2026/27 academic year to receive the prize money.) 

4. Rising star: For impact achieved by an early-career researcher.

5. Outstanding engagement: For innovation and achievement in science communication, translating research insights in open and accessible ways, and/or thought leadership in these domains 

6. Outstanding impact culture: For innovations and achievement in fostering and embedding positive, inclusive and ethical impact environments, and/or thought leadership in these domains.

7.*NEW* Distinguished impact achievement (nomination only): To recognise outstanding and sustained impact(s) from a body of research in any domain.

8. Spark Award: To recognise and support the further development of sustainable new products, services, methodologies or processes with potential to lead to the betterment of society. More details.

Application forms (download in Microsoft Word)

Outstanding Individual Impact application
Outstanding Team Impact application
Outstanding PhD Impact application
Rising Star Impact application
Outstanding Engagement application
Outstanding Impact Culture application
LSE Spark Award

Nomination form (download in Microsoft Word)

Distinguished impact achievement

Please note, applicants who were recognised in LSE Impact Prize 2025 may apply again but not in the same category for the same project

For the 'Distinguished impact achievement' there are no self-nominations.

Any questions please contact research.impact@lse.ac.uk.

LSE Impact Prize 2025 prizewinners

Outstanding PhD researcher impact: For excellence in impact achieved during or within a year of completing PhD research.

WINNER Anthony Miro Born (Department of Sociology, Department of Methodology) - "From PhD Research to Comic: The Price of Social Mobility"
RUNNER UP Katy Footman (Department of Social Policy) - "Expanding treatment choice within abortion care in England and Wales"
RUNNER UP Vishnu Prasad (Department of Geography and Environment) - "Exile and Repatriation: Remembering the 1978-79 Rohingya mass displacement"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Chiara Chiavaroli (Department of International Development) - "It rains miscarriages. A feminist investigation of toxic risks in rural Colombia"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Ilona Pinter (CASE) - "Child poverty in the context of UK asylum and immigration policy: Informing advocacy and policymaking around the Child Poverty Strategy"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Sara Wong (Department of International Relations)  - "Not another protest exhibition: Myanmar in revolt and feminist art practice" (Received internal PhD KEI funding)

Rising star: For impact achieved by an early career researcher

WINNER Dr Robtel Neajai Pailey (Department of Social Policy) - "Development, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa: The Political Economy of Belonging to Liberia"
RUNNER UP Dr Sacha Hilhorst (Department of Sociology) - "A tale of two towns" 
RUNNER UP Dr Kate Summers (Department of Methodology) - "Embedding participatory approaches to policymaking in the Department for Work and Pensions"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Dr Kevin Zapata-Celestino (Department of Social Policy) - "Understanding School Bullying in Mexico"

Outstanding individual impact: For excellence in impact achieved by an individual member of staff

WINNER Dr Timo Leiter (Grantham Research Institute) - "Global targets and indicators under the Paris Agreement drive action and provide accountability on adaptation to climate change"
RUNNER UP Professor Tarun Khaitan (LSE Law School) - "Legal Impact in South Asia"

Outstanding engagement: For innovation and achievement in science communication, translating research insights in open and accessible ways, and/or thought leadership in these domains

WINNER Professor Emily Jackson (LSE Law School) - "Cell Yourself: The New Facts of Life"
RUNNER UP Professor Lord Layard, Dr Chris Krekel, Dr David Frayman, Sara MacLennan (Centre for Economic Performance) - "Bringing Wellbeing Science to Policy" (a recipient of LSE’s knowledge exchange and impact funding)
RUNNER UP Dr Michela Tinelli (Care Policy and Evaluation Centre) - "Co-producing Change: Innovating Communication Through Data-Driven Storytelling in Homelessness and Drug Recovery Services" 

Outstanding impact culture: For innovations and achievement in fostering and embedding positive, inclusive and ethical impact environments, and/or thought leadership in these domains

WINNER Professor Vernon Henderson (Department of Geography and Environment); Francisco Libano-Monteiro (Department of Economics); Martina Manara (University College London and the Institute of Human Settlement Studies at Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam); Dr Guy Michaels (Department of Economics); and Dr Tanner Regan (Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University) - "Enhancing Greenfield Development in African cities"
RUNNER UP Tanya Alaaldin, Caleb Phillips, Dr Ellie Stillwell (Department of Management) - "Creating Space for Neurodivergent Perspectives: An Inclusive Approach to Organisational Research"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Phelan United States Centre - "PhD Summer Research Grant Programme"

Outstanding team impact: For excellence in impact achieved working as a team (e.g. across researchers, professional services, external non-academic organisations, etc)

WINNER Dr Andy Summers, Dr Arun Advani, David Burgherr, Professor Mike Savage, Professor Sam Friedman, Victoria Gronwald, Dr Emma Taylor, Greg Taylor and Megan Marsh (LSE Law School, the International Inequalities Institute, the Department of Sociology, the Centre for Analysis of Taxation, and LSE’s Public Affairs team) - "Abolishing the Non-Dom Tax Regime" 
RUNNER UP Professor Elias Mossialos, George Wharton, and Dr Charlotte Johnston-Webber (LSE Health) - "Saving Lives Through System Reform: Transforming Greece's Organ Donation and Transplantation Programme"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Alina Averchekova, Emily Bradeen, Tiffanie Chan, Catherine Higham, Dr Joana Setzer (Law and Governance Group at the Grantham Research Institute) - "Shaping Global and National Climate Governance"
HIGHLY COMMENDED Dr Souad Mohamed, IEL International, Haggar Group (Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa) - "From Research to Resilience: Scaling Ethical Leadership for Displaced Women in Africa and Beyond"

The Spark award (which supports the further development of sustainable new products, services, methodologies or processes with potential to lead to the betterment of society).

WINNER Professor Richard Davies, Finn McEvoy, Josh Hellings, and Rahat Siddique (School of Public Policy) - “AI-powered price collection for evidence-based policy”
RUNNER UP Dr Alexandra Cirone (School of Public Policy, Department of Government) – "Representative Voices: Selection Bias in Citizen’s Assemblies"
RUNNER UP Dr Dario Krpan, Dr Frederic Basso, and Jeni Fisher (Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science) – "Supporting business transition from extractive to post-growth models"