The Kavli Prize

Established in 2005, The Kavli Prize is a partnership among The Kavli Foundation, The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. The Kavli Prize recognizes breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience — from the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 to the detection of gravitational waves and more.

Since 2008, in each even calendar year, three $1 million prizes are given to scientists whose research fundamentally transformed the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience, or what our founder coined as “the big, the small and the complex.” Fred Kavli believed these prizes to be a great way to honor scientists and recognize outstanding research, while also promoting and celebrating science with the public — inspiring and encouraging their curiosity, and support and appreciation of science.

The Kavli Prize is administered by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Academy approves the laureates based on unanimous recommendations from three Kavli Prize selection committees, one for each scientific field. The committees are comprised of five members each, and the members are nominated by international science academies.