Congratulations to Laurence Deschamps-Laporte, whose MPhil thesis has been named Best Paper of 2013 in the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Graduate Section.

Laurence completed the MPhil in Development Studies in 2013.

Her thesis, titled 'From the Mosque to the Polls: The Emergence of the Al-Nour Party in Post-Arab Spring Egypt' examined the popularity of the Al Nour Salafi party in the 2011 Egyptian parliamentary elections.

It questioned the link between poverty and affiliation to Salafi religious organisations and political parties, focusing specifically on the case of Alexandria, Egypt.

The award brings a monetary prize and fast-tracked publication in the journal of New Middle Eastern Studies.

Laurence is now a DPhil candidate in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at the Oriental Studies Faculty, Oxford.