In 2026, we highlighted original and inspiring research that sheds light on important regional issues. Our award ceremonies were held virtually, bringing together a global audience to celebrate these achievements.
Catch up on the celebrations by watching the recordings of the online ceremonies below.
2026 Sir Peter Hall Contribution to the Field Award – Outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of regional studies.
2026 Lifetime Honorary Membership Awards – The award recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional and sustained service to the Association and who have made significant contributions to the field of regional studies.
2026 Regional Leadership Award for Policy and Practice – Individuals or organisations in policy and practice who work at the interstices with academia and other forms of research to develop the field and practice of regional studies and science.
2026 RSA Institutional Ambassador Award – A leading institution in the field of the promotion of regional issues
2026 Distinguished Service to Regional Studies – This award recognises those who have made an important contribution to the field, either through long-lasting service or a brief but impactful intervention.
2026 Paul Benneworth Award – This award is for registered PhD students who have not yet received their PhD certificate.
2026 RSA & Routledge Early Career Award – This award is for early career researchers (defined as being within five years of the date on their PhD certificate or equivalent).
2026 Nathaniel Lichfield Recent Master’s Award – For graduates who completed a Master’s degree within the past year.
2026 Best Book Award – This award is voted for by Regional Studies Association members from a shortlist of books from the Regions and Cities Book Series and books that have been reviewed in Regional Studies.
2026 Regional Studies Best Paper
Flavio L. Pinheiro, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Pierre-Alexndre Balland, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Ron Boschma, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Dominik Hartmann, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
2026 Regional Studies Policy Debates Best Paper
Smart City Governance: Assessing Modes of Active Citizen Engagement
Rama Krishna Reddy Kummitha, University of Essex, UK
2025 Regional Studies Urban and Regional Horizons Best Paper
Regional Counter-institutionalisation: Contestation and Propositions for Alternative Regionalities
Kristin Smette Gulbrandsen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
2026 Spatial Economic Analysis Best Paper
A Spatial Stochastic Frontier Model with Fixed Effects and Endogenous Environmental Variables
Massimo Gianni, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
2026 Territory, Politics, Governance Best Paper
Maria S. Tysiachniouk, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
Svetlana A. Tulaeva, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
Juha Kotilainen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
Laura A. Henry, Bowdoin College, USA
2026 Regional Studies, Regional Science Best Paper
Job Relatedness, Local Skill Coherence and Economic Performance: A Job Postings Approach
Martin Henning, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Rikard Eriksson, Umeå University, Sweden
Petrus Garefelt, Umeå University, Sweden
Hanna Martin, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Zoltán Elekes, HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungary
2026 Area Development and Policy Best Paper
2026 Finance and Space Best Papers
Sam Unsworth, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
International Finance and the Global Polycrisis
Eric Helleiner, University of Waterloo, Canada
2026 Regional Studies Best Referees
Andés Rodriguez Pose, London School of Economics, UK
Erica Santini, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
Piers Thompson, Nottingham Trent University, UK
2026 Spatial Economic Analysis Best Referee
Elias Giannakis, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
2026 Territory, Politics, Governance Best Referees
Sayd Randle, Singapore Management University, Singapore
2026 Regional Studies, Regional Science Best Referee
Kaixuan Huang, Peking University, China
2026 Area Development and Policy Best Referee
2026 Finance and Space Best Referee
Stefano Ioannou, Oxford Brookes University, UK
2026 Regions eZine Best Paper
2026 Best Blog