John McCain Dissertation Award

In memory of its long-time companion U.S. Senator John McCain, the MSC annually awards the John McCain Dissertation Award. The prize honors outstanding academic achievements in the field of transatlantic relations.

John McCain Dissertation Award 2025

The John McCain Dissertation Award for this year was presented to Tim Heinkelmann-Wild during the Munich Security Conference 2025.

About John McCain

Senator John McCain was a companion, partner and friend of the Munich Security Conference for more than four decades. After first attending the conference as a young Navy officer, he eventually came to lead the United States Congressional Delegation to the conference in his role as senator for more than 20 years. As such he played a key role in establishing the conference as an important forum for the transatlantic community. "No one defended the transatlantic alliance at its best – nor confronted it at its worst – more vigorously than him", commemorates MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger.

In times when the transatlantic bond can no longer be taken for granted, we have decided to create the annual John McCain Dissertation Award for academic excellence. Together with our partners, the Hochschule für Politik München/TUM School of Governance, the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science at LMU Munich, the University of the Federal Armed Forces, as well as the McCain Institute, we strive to honour the legacy of John McCain.

I am counting on you to be brave. I am counting on you to be useful. I am counting on you to keep the faith, and never give up […] Never, ever stop fighting for all that is good, and just, and decent about our world and each other.

John McCainEwald von Kleist Award Winner 2018

The Award

The John McCain Dissertation Award is awarded annually to up to two outstanding doctoral dissertations dealing with an aspect of transatlantic relations. It consists of several components, including participation in Munich Security Conference events and activities, and a prize sum of up to 10,000 euros.

John McCain Dissertation Award 2024

This year’s John McCain Dissertation Award is awarded to Sarah Denise Rozenblum and Moritz S. Graefrath for their outstanding academic achievements in the field of transatlantic relations.

Previous Award Winners

2025
Tim Heinkelmann-Wild

2024
Sarah Denise Rozenblum and Moritz S. Graefrath

2023
Marino Felipe Auffant

2022
Rachel Myrick

2020
Oscar Jonsson and Balazs Martonffy

2019
Ulrike Franke and Abigail Post

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