ESPOL and its research laboratory, ESPOL-Lab, are delighted to congratulate María Muñoz García and Juliette Seguin, winners of the 2026 Susan Strange Prize. Each year, the prize recognises two outstanding pieces of student research for their academic excellence, methodological rigour and originality.
Susan Stange Prize: Meet the Winners
The Susan Strange Prize: celebrating academic excellence
Each year, the Susan Strange Prize highlights the best research projects produced by ESPOL students, at both undergraduate and Master’s level. Named in honour of British political scientist Susan Strange, the prize celebrates academic excellence and encourages students to engage in research in political science and international relations.
For the 2026 edition, the prize recognises work completed during the 2025–2026 academic year in two categories: Best Master’s Dissertation and Best Bachelor’s Research Project.
A selection based on academic excellence
To be eligible for the competition, students had to have achieved a minimum grade of 15/20 for their Master’s dissertation and 17/20 for their Bachelor’s research project.
Following an initial selection, shortlisted candidates presented their work to the Susan Strange Prize jury. Composed of members of ESPOL’s academic and research community, the jury assessed the projects based on their academic quality, methodological rigour and originality.
Following this evaluation, two students were selected as the 2026 winners.
María Muñoz García: Best Master’s Dissertation
A student in the Master’s in Multilevel Governance in Europe, María Muñoz García received the 2026 Susan Strange Prize for her dissertation entitled:
Her research examines the factors influencing the development of family policies in France and Spain between 1990 and 2024, with a particular focus on the development of childcare provision and paid paternity leave.
Juliette Seguin: Best Bachelor’s Research Project
Juliette Seguin, a student in the European Bachelor’s in Political Science, was awarded the prize for her research project entitled:
“Governing without naming: The colonial past in international environmental law (1972–2015)”.
Through this research, she explores the place of the colonial past in international environmental law between 1972 and 2015, examining in particular how this legacy is, or is not, addressed within international legal frameworks.
Encouraging research from the Bachelor’s level onwards
With a €1,000 prize awarded to each winner, the Susan Strange Prize recognises the quality of María and Juliette’s research and their commitment to academic inquiry.
Through this award, ESPOL and ESPOL-Lab also aim to foster intellectual curiosity and encourage students to engage with research from the early stages of their studies. The work of María Muñoz García and Juliette Seguin reflects the diversity of research topics explored at ESPOL and the breadth of students’ reflections on major contemporary political and international issues.
Congratulations to María Muñoz García and Juliette Seguin on this achievement!
