Johnston was chosen for the Award by a jury of distinguished academics and journalists. They explained their decision as follows:
'Through his work with the Electoral Commission on boundary changes Ron Johnston has made a considerable contribution not only to political studies but has also helped shape the future of British Politics. He stands out as a clear communicator who has the capacity to communicate complex issues in an accessible manner. It is for these reasons that we feel he is a highly deserving winner of the 2011 Politics/Political Studies Communicator Award.'
In 2010, Johnston co-authored the report 'Drawing a New Constituency Map for the United Kingdom: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill 2010' which looked at the coalition Government's proposals for electoral reform. He has also written about the proposals on the .
More information is available on the .