Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations for 2027 Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics
April 22, 2026, 6 am PT / 9 am ET – San Francisco – The public nomination period for the 2027 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics is now open. Nominations can be submitted online today through July 17, 2026. While self-nominations are prohibited, anyone may nominate another person. The nomination forms and rules are available at breakthroughprize.org.
The Breakthrough Prize, dubbed ‘The Oscars of Science,’ hosts an annual gala awards ceremony to celebrate the laureates’ achievements and to foster broad popular support for scientific endeavors and inspire the next generation of scientists.
Physics Prizes
One 2027 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics ($3 million) will recognize an individual or individuals who have made profound contributions to human knowledge. It is open to theoretical and experimental physicists. The prize can be shared among any number of scientists. Nominations are also open for the New Horizons in Physics Prize, which will include up to three $100,000 awards for early-career researchers who have already produced important work in their fields. Additionally, nominations will be taken for the first time for a new physics prize, the Vera Rubin New Frontiers Prize, which was announced at the annual Breakthrough Prize ceremony on April 18. Up to three $50,000 awards will be available to women physicists and astrophysicists (broadly defined) who have completed their PhDs within the previous two years.
The Selection Committee for the 2027 physics prizes includes: Eric Adelberger, Nima Arkani-Hamed, Charles H. Bennett, Charles L. Bennett, Sheperd Doeleman, Michael Green, David Gross, Jens Gundlach, Alan Guth, Blayne Heckel, Joseph Incandela, Charles Kane, Hidetoshi Katori, Alexei Kitaev, Andrei Linde, Patricia McBride, Arthur McDonald, Juan Maldacena, Eugene Mele, Lyman Page, Saul Perlmutter, Chris Polly, Alexander Polyakov, Adam Riess, Nathan Seiberg, Ashoke Sen, David Spergel, Andrew Strominger, Cumrun Vafa, Ewine F. van Dishoeck, Yifang Wang, Edward Witten, and Jun Ye.
Life Sciences Prizes
Three 2027 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences ($3 million each) will be available to individuals who have made transformative advances in comprehending living systems and extending human life. One of the prizes is designated for progress in understanding of Parkinson’s disease or other neurodegenerative disorders.
The Selection Committee for the 2027 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences includes: James Allison, Victor Ambros, Alberto Ascherio, David Baker, Shankar Balasubramanian, Cornelia Bargmann, Alim Louis Benabid, Jean Bennett, Frank Bennett, Edward Boyden, Clifford P. Brangwynne, Lewis Cantley, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Zhijian “James” Chen, Don Cleveland, Hans Clevers, Karl Deisseroth, Titia de Lange, Jennifer Doudna, Daniel J. Drucker, Catherine Dulac, Stephen Elledge, Napoleone Ferrara, Jeffrey Friedman, Thomas Gasser, Joel Habener, Sabine Hadida, Michael Hall, John Hardy, Ulrich Hartl, Demis Hassabis, Stephen Hauser, Katherine High, Helen Hobbs, Arthur Horwich, Anthony A. Hyman, Jens Juul Holst, John Jumper, David Julius, Carl June, Katalin Karikó, Jeffery W. Kelly, David Klenerman, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Adrian Krainer, Eric Lander, Robert Langer, Virginia Lee, Richard Lifton, Dennis Lo, Albert Maguire, Pascal Mayer, Emmanuel Mignot, Svetlana Mojsov, Kazutoshi Mori, Kim Nasmyth, Paul Negulescu, Harry Noller, Roeland Nusse, Yoshinori Ohsumi, Stuart Orkin, Svante Pääbo, Rosa Rademakers, Gary Ruvkun, Michel Sadelain, Charles Sawyers, Ellen Sidransky, Andrew Singleton, Swee Lay Thein, Bryan Traynor, Fredrick Van Goor, Alexander Varshavsky, Bert Vogelstein, Peter Walter, Robert Weinberg, Drew Weissman, Shinya Yamanaka, Masashi Yanagisawa, Richard Youle, Xiaowei Zhuang, and Huda Zoghbi.
Mathematics Prizes
One 2027 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics ($3 million) will be awarded to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of mathematics. Nominations are also open for the New Horizons in Mathematics Prize, which will include up to three $100,000 awards for early-career researchers who have already produced important work in their fields. In addition, up to three $50,000 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes will be presented to women mathematicians who have completed their PhDs within the previous two years.
The Selection Committee for the 2027 mathematics prizes includes: Simon Brendle, Alex Eskin, Simon Donaldson, Dennis Gaitsgory, Martin Hairer, Maxim Kontsevich, Christopher Hacon, Vincent Lafforgue, Jacob Lurie, Frank Merle, James McKernan, Takuro Mochizuki, Daniel Spielman, Terence Tao, and Richard Taylor.
More information including prize rules are available at breakthroughprize.org.
About Breakthrough Prize Foundation
The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is a charitable endeavor founded by science philanthropist and technology investor Yuri Milner and his wife Julia, dedicated to advancing fundamental knowledge, celebrating scientific achievement, and utilizing scientific and technological innovations to improve people’s lives and inspire future generations. The Foundation’s programs include the Breakthrough Prize, which recognizes the world’s top scientists in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics; the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an annual global video competition for students to inspire creative scientific thinking; and the Breakthrough Initiatives, a suite of science programs investigating the fundamental questions of life in the universe.
Contact
For additional media inquiries, contact media@breakthroughprize.org.
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