2021 National Academy of Sciences Awards
The slate of awards and their requirements are advertised in early May. All nominations are due October 4, 2021. Each award has the same submission requirements (see “submission process” section). See: http://www.nasonline.org/programs/awards/2022.html.
Slate of awards
About the Alexander Hollaender Award in Biophysics
The Alexander Hollaender Award in Biophysics is presented every three years and carries with it a $20,000 prize. The Award recognizes outstanding contributions made to the field of biophysics. Henrietta W. Hollaender established the Alexander Hollaender Award in Biophysics in honor of her husband, Alexander W. Hollaender, who brought to prominence the field of photobiology. With an interest in the lethal and mutagenic effects of monochromatic ultra-violet radiation on cells, Dr. Hollaender identified the first clear indication that changes in nucleic acids needed to be analyzed, rather than proteins.
Annual award
About the Atkinson Prize in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
The Atkinson Prize in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences (formerly the NAS Prize in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences) is presented to honor significant advances in the psychological and cognitive sciences with important implications for formal and systematic theory in these fields. Two prizes of $100,000 are presented biennially. The prize was established by Richard C. Atkinson in 2013.
Biennial award
About the James Craig Watson Medal
The James Craig Watson Medal is presented every two years for outstanding contributions to the science of astronomy and carries with it a gold-plated bronze medal, a $25,000 prize, and $50,000 to support the recipient’s research. The Watson Medal was established by NAS Member and prolific Canadian-American astronomer, James Craig Watson. Watson is credited with discovering twenty-two asteroids in his lifetime. He published many articles and wrote A Popular Treatise on Comets (1861) and Theoretical Astronomy (1868).
Annual award
About the James Prize in Science and Technology Integration
The James Prize in Science and Technology Integration is presented annually and carries with it a $50,000 prize. The prize honors outstanding contributions made by researchers who are able to adopt or adapt information or techniques from outside their fields, and thus integrate knowledge from two or more disciplines (e.g., engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, biomedicine, geosciences, astronomy, or computational sciences) to solve a major contemporary challenge not addressable from a single disciplinary perspective. The prize was established in 2020 by Robert James.
Annual award
About the Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal
The Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal is awarded every two years for outstanding research in the medical sciences. The medal carries with it a $25,000 award, and an additional $50,000 for research. The Kovalenko Fund, gifted by Michael S. Kovalenko in 1949 to the National Academy of Science in memory of his wife, Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko, was specifically designed to recognize the achievements made to the medical sciences and, over the past 70 years, has honored many outstanding contributors.
Annual award
About the John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science
The John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science is awarded every two years, to recognize noteworthy and distinguished accomplishments in any field of science within the National Academy of Science’s charter. The award is presented with a medal and a $25,000 prize. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company established the award to honor the memory of their Chief Engineer, Vice President, and general telecommunications innovator, John J. Carty.
Annual award
About the Maryam Mirzakhani Prize in Mathematics
The Mirzakhani Prize (formerly the NAS Award in Mathematics) was established in 1988 by the American Mathematical Society in honor of its centennial. The prize was renamed to honor the late Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017), a highly accomplished and talented mathematician, professor at Stanford University, and member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She was the first (and only) woman to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics, often equated in stature with the Nobel Prize. Made possible through generous gifts from the Simons Foundation and other benefactors, this $20,000 prize will be awarded biennially for exceptional contributions to the mathematical sciences by a mid-career mathematician.
Annual award
About the Michael and Sheila Held Prize
The Michael and Sheila Held Prize is presented annually to honor outstanding, innovative, creative, and influential research in the areas of combinatorial and discrete optimization, or related parts of computer science, such as the design and analysis of algorithms and complexity theory. This $100,000 prize is intended to recognize recent work (defined as published within the last eight years). The Held prize was established in 2017 by the bequest of Michael and Sheila Held
Annual award
About the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences
The NAS Award in Chemical Sciences is presented annually to honor innovative research in the chemical sciences that contributes to a better understanding of the natural sciences and to the benefit of humanity. The NAS Award in Chemical Sciences was established in 1978 and supported by Occidental Petroleum Corporation from 1978 to 1996. The Merck Company Foundation assumed sponsorship in 1999. The award is presented with a medal and a $15,000 prize.
Annual award
About the NAS Award in Early Earth and Life Sciences
Established by the NAS Council in October 2008 by combining two awards: The Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal established by a gift of Mrs. Mary Vaux Walcott in memory of her husband, Charles Doolittle Walcott, and the Stanley Miller Medal established through a bequest from NAS member Stanley Miller. The award rotates presentation between the Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal for research on Cambrian or pre-Cambrian life, and the Stanley Miller Medal which recognizes research on Earth's early development as a planet, including prebiotic chemistry and the origin of life; planetary accretion, differentiation, and tectonics; and early evolution of the atmosphere and oceans. Each medal is presented with a $10,000 prize.
Annual award
About the NAS Award in Molecular Biology
The NAS Award in Molecular Biology is supported by Pfizer Inc. and recognizes a recent notable discovery by a young scientist (defined as no older than 45) who is a citizen of the United States. The award is presented with a medal and a $25,000 prize.
Annual award
About the NAS Award in the Neurosciences
The NAS Award in the Neurosciences is awarded every three years to recognize extraordinary contributions to the progress of the neuroscience fields, including neurochemistry, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, developmental neuroscience, neuroanatomy, and behavioral and clinical neuroscience. The award was established by the Fidia Research Foundation and is presented with a $25,000 prize.
Annual award
About the NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
The NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences recognizes research by a mid-career scientist (defined as up to 20 years since completion of PhD) at a U.S. institution who has made an extraordinary contribution to agriculture or to the understanding of the biology of a species fundamentally important to agriculture or food production. For the purpose of the prize, areas of science with applications to agriculture include plant and animal sciences, microbiology, nutrition and food science, soil science, entomology, veterinary medicine, and agricultural economics. The recipient will be awarded a medal and a $100,000 prize. The prize is endowed through generous gifts from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Annual award
About the NAS Public Welfare Medal
The NAS Public Welfare Medal is the Academy's most prestigious award and is presented annually to honor extraordinary use of science for the public good.
Annual award
About the Pradel Research Award
The Pradel Research Award is presented annually to recognize mid-career neuroscientists whose work is making major contributions to our understanding of the nervous system. The award is presented with a $50,000 research award to designate to an institution of the recipient's choice to support neuroscience research.
Annual award
About the Troland Research Award
Two Troland Research Awards of $75,000 are given annually to recognize unusual achievement by early-career researchers (preferably 45 years of age or younger) and to further empirical research within the broad spectrum of experimental psychology. The Troland Research Award was established by a trust created in 1931 by the bequest of Leonard T. Troland.
Annual award
Submission process
All nominations must be submitted online. Unless otherwise stated, the following materials must be submitted.
- A letter from the nominator describing the candidate's work and why he or she should be selected for the award. No more than three (3) pages.
- Curriculum vitae. No more than two (2) pages (similar to CVs included with NSF proposals).
- Bibliography listing no more than twelve (12) of the nominee's most significant publications.
- Suggested citation. A 50-word summary stating why the nominee should be considered for this award. Citation examples»
- Two letters of support. Support letters must be written by individuals from institutions outside both the nominator's and the nominee’s institution.
Important Dates
- Nomination Deadline: Monday, October 4, 2021
- Recipients Announced: Mid-January 2022
- NAS Awards Ceremony: Sunday, April 24, 2022
Research Development activities
On or before September 13, 2021
- If nominees would like the nomination to be uploaded by the Vice President of Research at ASU, nominees should be identified by the dean or their representative. Deans should prepare a letter of nomination on behalf of the nominee that is compliant with the requirements of the submission and reflective of the nature of the award. The letter should be sent to the Vice President of Research for signature via ResearchDevelopment@asu.edu.
- The nominee (in partnership with the dean or their representative) must provide the CV, bibliography, suggested citation to the Vice President of Research via ResearchDevelopment@asu.edu.
- The nominee must secure the external letters of support and provide those to the Vice President of Research via ResearchDevelopment@asu.edu.
- It is acceptable to send multiple emails with the required items, but all must be received by 5pm Arizona on September 13, 2021. Emails should have subject line: NAS: [Full name of nominee] [Award]