The winner is Lone Sorensen, with "Populist Communication: Ideology, Performance, Mediation". Palgrave Macmillan.
The runner up is David Park, with "Media Reform and the Climate Emergency: Rethinking Communication in the Struggle for a Sustainable Future". University of Michigan Press.
Sorensen's book was commended by judges as "very strong", "exceptionally timely", with an "engaging" style. Park's book was deemed "rigorous", "very clear", and social justice oriented.
The judging panel consisted of former award winners:
Dr. Patrick Murphy, Klein College of Media & Communication, Temple University
Dr. Julia Sonnevend, The New School for Social Research
Prof. Herman Wasserman, Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town
The committee noted that this was an especially challenging task given seven nominations which were all of a very high quality. With these two awards the division hopes to signal to scholars of global communication and social change the global threat posed both by political populism and climate change, the respective areas these books explore.