Prestigious Awards Descriptions

Nobel Laureate

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been honoring men and women from all corners of the globe for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and for work in peace. The foundations for the prize were laid in 1895 when Alfred Nobel, a scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, author and pacifist, wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth to the establishment of the Nobel Prize. In 1968, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was added to the annual awards. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award.

For more information: http://nobelprize.org/

MacArthur Fellow

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. There are three criteria for selection of Fellows: exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work. The purpose of the MacArthur Fellows Program is to enable recipients to exercise their own creative instincts for the benefit of human society.

For more information: http://www.macfound.org/

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prizes were established as an incentive to excellence in journalism, literature, music and drama by Hungarian-born American journalist Joseph Pulitzer. Based on his deep interest in the progress and elevation of American journalism and his visionary acumen, Pulitzer created in his 1904 will these prestigious awards in a "noble profession and one of unequaled imprtance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people." Having written his will broadly enough, Pulitzer gave the overseer advisory board discretion to integrate changes that now include awards for online journalism.

For more information: http://www.pulitzer.org/

National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is an honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. The NAS was signed into being by President Abraham Lincoln on March 3, 1863, at the height of the Civil War. Academy members and foreign associates are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research; election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a scientist or engineer.

For more information: http://www.nasonline.org/

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Founded in 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "Triple A-S" (AAAS), is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association. In addition, AAAS publishes the journal Science, as well as many scientific newsletters, books and reports, and spearheads programs that raise the bar of understanding for science worldwide. To recognize scientists, journalists, and public servants for significant contributions to science and to the public's understanding of science, the Association presents annual awards.

For more information: http://www.aaas.org/

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Since its founding during the American Revolution, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has been honoring excellence and providing service to the nation and the world. Through independent, nonpartisan study, its distinguished "scholar-patriots" have brought the arts and sciences into constructive interplay with the leaders of both the public and private sectors. Today the Academy is an international learned society that elects to its membership men and women of exceptional achievement, drawn from science, scholarship, business, public affairs, and the arts, and conducts projects and studies responsive to the needs and problems of society.

For more information: http://www.amacad.org/

National Academy of Engineering

Founded in 1964 as a private, independent, nonprofit institution, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. In addition to its role as advisor to the federal government, the NAE also conducts independent studies to examine important topics in engineering and technology. The NAE has more than 2,000 peer-elected members and foreign associates, senior professionals in business, academia, and government who are among the world's most accomplished engineers. They provide the leadership and expertise for numerous projects focused on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life.

For more information: http://www.nae.edu/

National Academy of Education

The National Academy of Education (NAEd) advances the highest quality education research and its use in policy formulation and practice. Founded in 1965, the Academy consists of up to 200 U.S. members and up to 25 foreign associates who are elected on the basis of outstanding scholarship or contributions to education. Since its establishment, the Academy has undertaken numerous commissions and study panels addressing pressing issues in education, which typically include both NAEd members and other scholars with expertise in a particular area of inquiry..

For more information: http://www.naeducation.org/

Guggenheim Foundation

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation provides fellowships for advanced professionals in all fields (natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, creative arts) except the performing arts. The Foundation was established in 1925 by U.S. Senator Simon Guggenheim and his wife as a memorial to a son. The Foundation offers Fellowships to further the development of scholars and artists in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions and irrespective of race, color, or creed.

For more information: http://www.gf.org/

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…" With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, the NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. The NSF administers several awards programs in partnership with the White House to denote remarkable achievement by outstanding scientists, engineers, and educators who demonstrate exceptional leadership in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and STEM education.

For more information: http://www.nsf.gov/

Fulbright American Scholar

The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange, was proposed to the U.S. Congress in 1945 by then freshman Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program's inception, approximately 279,500 participants - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential – have been granted the opportunity to exchange ideas and to contribute to finding solutions to shared issues.

For more information: http://www.cies.org/

American Council of Learned Societies

Since its founding in 1919, the American Council of Learned Societies has provided the humanities and related social sciences with leadership, opportunities for innovation, and national and international representation. The Council’s many activities have at their core the practice of scholarly self-governance. Central to ACLS throughout its history have been its programs of awarding fellowships and grants aiding research. All ACLS awards are made through rigorous peer review by specially appointed committees of scholars from throughout the United States and, in some programs, abroad.

For more information: http://www.acls.org/

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research. Helping to lead the way toward important medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives, NIH scientists investigate ways to prevent disease as well as the causes, treatments, and even cures for common and rare diseases. The NIH invests more than $28 billion annually in medical research for the American people. Composed of 27 institutes and centers, the NIH provides leadership and financial support to researchers in every state and throughout the world.

For more information: http://www.nih.gov/

National Endowment for the Humanities

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent federal agency created in 1965, is dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. It is the largest funder of humanities programs in the United States. The Endowment accomplishes this mission by providing grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs. NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars.

For more information: http://www.neh.gov/

Institute of Medicine

Working outside the framework of government, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) provides the nation science-based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health. A nonprofit organization specifically created for this purpose, as well as an honorific membership organization, the IOM was chartered in 1970 as a component of the National Academy of Sciences. The Institute's members, elected on the basis of their professional achievement and commitment to service, serve without compensation in the conduct of studies and other activities on matters of significance to health.

For more information: http://www.iom.edu/

National Academy of Public Administration

The National Academy of Public Administration is a non-profit, independent coalition of top public management and organizational leaders who tackle the nation’s most critical and complex challenges. With a network of more than 600 distinguished Fellows, the Academy is uniquely qualified and trusted across government to provide objective advice and practical solutions based on systematic research and expert analysis. The Academy's Fellows include current and former Cabinet officers, members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, state legislators, diplomats, business executives, local public managers, foundation executives, and scholars.

For more information: http://www.napawash.org/

Royal Society

The Royal Society is the world's oldest scientific academy in continuous existence and has been at the forefront of inquiry and discovery since its foundation in 1660. The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK and the Commonwealth dedicated to promoting excellence in science. The backbone of the Society is its Fellowship of the most eminent scientists of the day, elected by rigorous peer review and a vote of existing Fellows. Fellows are elected for life and entitled to use FRS, or ForMemRS for foreign members, after their name.

For more information: http://royalsociety.org/