The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters invites nominations for the 2020 Kavli Prize. The prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in three fields of science: astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience.

The prize in astrophysics recognises pioneering contributions to our understanding of the Universe and its origin and evolution. Candidates of all subdisciplines are eligible, from cosmology to astrobiology, including astrophysical instrumentation. The most recent recipient of the Astrophysics Kavli Prize is Ewine Van Dishoeck, President of the IAU, who received the 2018 award for her contributions to observational, theoretical and laboratory astrochemistry.

The prize is a collaboration between the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. The Academy forms a committee for each prize, chaired by an Academy member with the rest of the members appointed on the recommendations of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences, the Max Planck Society, the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society.

The committees will review the nominations, and it is on the basis of their recommendations that the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters will select the prize winners, to be announced on 27 May 2020. The prizes each consist of $1 million (US), a scroll and a medal, and will be awarded at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway on 8 September 2020.

Nominations should be submitted via the online form by the deadline of 1 December 2019.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 13 500 professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Contacts

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org