Awarded biennially, the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics honours scientists for outstanding achievement in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the origin, evolution, and properties of the Universe, including the fields of cosmology, astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science, solar physics, space science, astrobiology, astronomical and astrophysical instrumentation, and particle astrophysics.
The Kavli Prize recognises and values that different perspectives enable breakthroughs, and is committed to recognising scientific discoveries worldwide. Submitting a nomination involves five simple steps and can be for a single person or a shared prize for closely related fundamental contributions. Nominations are open to everyone, but self-nominations are not accepted. Please visit kavliprize.org to learn more about the process and access the nominations form.
Nominations are reviewed by Selection Committees appointed by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, which are composed of experts put forth by leading international academies and other equivalent scientific organisations.
The members of the 2026 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics Selection Committee are:
- Per Barth Lilje (chair), University of Oslo, Norway
- Beatriz Barbuy, University of São Paolo, Brazil
- Martha Haynes, Cornell University, USA
- Thomas Henning, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany
- Didier Queloz, University of Cambridge, UK
The IAU encourages members at every career stage to review the criteria and nominate transformative astronomical research.