Best Papers Awards

Every year since 2011, the Finance Theory Group awards prizes for the best theory papers on the finance job market. A committee appointed by the Board is tasked with evaluating all job market papers nominated by current FTG members and choosing the winning authors, who are then invited to join the FTG. Below is the list of past award winners:

2025

First Prize

  • First Prize

    First Prize

    "Learning by Lending Securities" by George Nurisso (University of Washington, joining University of Florida)

2024

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2024

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "A General Theory of Holdouts" by Xiaobo Yu (Columbia, joining University of Colorado Boulder)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2024

    Runner up

    Runner up

    “Size Discovery in Slow Markets” by Patrick Blonien (Rice University, joining Carnegie Mellon University)

2023

Co-Winner of the First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2023

    Daniel Chen

    Daniel Chen

    "The Market for Attention" by Daniel Chen (Stanford, joining Princeton)

Co-Winner of the First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2023

    Agathe Pernoud

    Agathe Pernoud

    "How Competition Shapes Information in Auctions" by Agathe Pernoud (Stanford, joining Chicago Booth)

2022

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2022

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Raising Capital from Investor Syndicates with Strategic Communication" by Dan Luo (Stanford GSB, joining Chinese University of Hong Kong after...

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2022

    Runner up

    Runner up

    "Optimal Managerial Authority" by Joanne Juan Chen (LSE, joining Boston University)

2021

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2021

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Competing with Security Design" by Yue Yuan (LSE, joining Tsinghua University)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2021

    Runner up

    Runner up

    "Financing Breakthroughs under Failure Risk" by Simon Mayer (Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute, joining HEC Paris after a postdoc...

2020

Co-Winner of the First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2020

    Christopher Clayton

    Christopher Clayton

    "Multinational Banks and Financial Stability" by Christopher Clayton (Harvard University, joining Yale SOM) and Andreas Schaab

Co-Winner of the First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2020

    Magdalena Rola-Janicka

    Magdalena Rola-Janicka

    "The Political Economy of Prudential Regulation" by Magdalena Rola-Janicka (University of Amsterdam, joining Tilberg University)

2019

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2019

    Brandon Han

    Brandon Han

    “Dynamic Information Acquisition and Asset Prices” by Brandon Han (LSE, joining University of Maryland)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2019

    Lin Shen

    Lin Shen

    “Capital Flows in the Financial System and the Supply of Credit” by Lin Shen (Wharton, joining INSEAD)

2018

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2018

    Deeksha Gupta

    Deeksha Gupta

    "Too Much Skin in the Game" by Deeksha Gupta (Wharton, joining Carnegie Mellon University)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2018

    Yiming Ma

    Yiming Ma

    “Intermediation in the Inter-bank lending market” by Yiming Ma (Stanford, joining Columbia Business School)

2017

Co-Winner of the First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2017

    Co-Winner of First Prize

    Co-Winner of First Prize

    "Mechanism Design with Aftermarkets: Cutoff Mechanisms" by Piotr Dworczak (Stanford University, joining Northwestern University)

Co-Winner of the First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2017

    Co-Winner of First Prize

    Co-Winner of First Prize

    "Core-Periphery Trading Networks" by Chaojun Wang (Stanford University, joining the Wharton School)

2016

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2016

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "A Dynamic Theory of Mutual Fund Runs and Liquidity Management" by Yao Zeng (Harvard University, joining the University of Washington)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2016

    Runner Up

    Runner Up

    "Network Hazard and Bailouts" by Selman Erol (University of Pennsylvania, joining Carnegie Mellon University)

2015

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2015

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Dynamic Adverse Selection: Time-Varying Market Conditions and Endogenous Entry" by Pavel Zryumov (Stanford University, joining the Wharton School)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2015

    Runner Up

    Runner Up

    "Moral Hazard and the Optimality of Debt" by Benjamin Hébert (Harvard University, joining Stanford University)

2014

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2014

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Intermediation and Voluntary Exposure to Counterparty Risk" by Maryam Farboodi (University of Chicago, joining Princeton University)

Runner Up (tie)

  • Jan 1, 2014

    Runner Up (tie)

    Runner Up (tie)

    "Auctions of Real Options" by Will Cong (Stanford University, joining the University of Chicago), and "Information Acquisition vs. Liquidity in...

2013

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2013

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Contracting Timely Delivery with Hard to Verify Quality" by Felipe Varas (Stanford University, joining Duke University)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2013

    Runner Up

    Runner Up

    "Uncertainty Shocks and Balance Sheet Recessions" by Sebastian Di Tella (MIT, joining Stanford University)

2012

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2012

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Optimality of Securitized Debt with Endogenous and Flexible Information Acquisition" by Ming Yang (Princeton University, joining Duke University)

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2012

    Runner Up

    Runner Up

    "Financial Intermediation, International Risk Sharing, and Reserve Currencies” by Matteo Maggiori (UC Berkeley, joining NYU)

2011

Runner Up

  • Jan 1, 2011

    Runner Up

    Runner Up

    "Sticky Incentives and Dynamic Agency: Optimal Contracting with Perks and Shirking" by John Zhu (UC Berkeley, joining the Wharton School)

First Prize

  • Jan 1, 2011

    First Prize

    First Prize

    "Asymmetric Information in Financial Markets: Anything Goes" by Bradyn Breon-Drish (UC Berkeley, joining Stanford University)