Since 1886, the National Academy of Sciences has honored more than 1,000 individuals in the physical, biological, and social sciences through its awards program. Below are the awards that will be presented in 2026. Nominations will open on Monday, May 12, 2025. We have updated our nomination policies, nominators may no longer nominate individuals from their home institution. The full nomination requirements can be found here. More information on the awards listed below can be found here. 

Arthur Day Prize and Lectureship
Honors a scientist making lasting contributions to the study of the physics of the Earth whose lectures would prove solid, timely, and useful additions to the knowledge and literature of the field. Presented with a $50,000 prize.  

Atkinson Prize in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Honors 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.

James Craig Watson Medal
Honors outstanding contributions to the science of astronomy. Presented with a $25,000 prize, and $50,000 to support the recipient’s research.

Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal
Honors outstanding research in the medical sciences. Presented with a $25,000 award, and an additional $50,000 for research. 

John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science 
Honors noteworthy and distinguished accomplishments in any field of science within the National Academy of Sciences charter. The 2026 Award will be presented in social sciences (excluding economics) with a $25,000 prize. 

Maryam Mirzakhani Prize in Mathematics
Honors exceptional contributions to the mathematical sciences by a mid-career mathematician. Presented with a $20,000 prize

Michael and Sheila Held Prize  
Honors an outstanding, recent (within the previous 8 years) work in combinational and discrete optimization, or related parts of computer science. Presented with a $100,000 prize.  

NAS Award for the Industrial Application of Science
Honors an original scientific work of intrinsic scientific importance and with significant, beneficial applications in industry. The 2026 Award will be presented in artificial intelligence with a $25,000 prize.

NAS Award in Chemical Sciences
Honors innovative research in the chemical sciences that contributes to the better understanding of the natural sciences and to the benefit of humanity. Presented with a $15,000 prize.

NAS Award in Molecular Biology
Honors a recent notable discovery in molecular biology by a young scientist (no older than 50) who is a citizen of the United States. Presented with a $25,000 prize.

NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
Honors a mid-career (defined as up to 20 years since completion of PhD) individual researcher at a U.S. institution who has made an extraordinary contribution to understanding the fundamental biology of an agriculturally important species and/or has had a major impact on agriculture. Presented with a $100,000 prize.

NAS Public Welfare Medal
Honors extraordinary use of science for the public good. The Public Welfare Medal is the Academy's most prestigious award.

Pradel Research Award
Honors mid-career neuroscientists whose work is making major contributions to our understanding of the nervous system. Presented with $50,000 to support neuroscience research.

Troland Research Awards
Honors unusual achievement by early-career researchers (preferably no older than 45) to further empirical research in psychology regarding relationships of consciousness and the physical world. Two awards are presented with $75,000 to support recipients' research.