Quick facts for kids The Crafoord Prize |
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Awarded for |
in astronomy and mathematics, biosciences, geosciences or polyarthritis research, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
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Presented by |
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
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Country |
Sweden |
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First awarded |
1982 (1982) |
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The Crafoord Prize is an annual science prize established in 1980 by Holger and Anna-Greta Crafoord. It is administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The prize is for "international basic research in the disciplines Astronomy, Mathematics, Geosciences, and Biosciences, with particular emphasis on ecology, and rheumatoid arthritis" (the disease from which Holger severely suffered in his last years). According to the Academy, "these disciplines are chosen so as to complement those for which the Nobel Prizes are awarded."
Only one award is given each year, according to a rotating scheme – astronomy and mathematics; then geosciences; then biosciences. A Crafoord Prize is only awarded for arthritis when a committee decides that substantial progress in the field has been made. On Crafoord Day in April, the prize is presented by the King of Sweden, who also presents the Nobel Prize Awards at the ceremony in December. The prize is to fund further research by the prize winner.
Winners
Year |
Category |
Image |
Laureate |
Nationality |
Work |
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1982 |
Mathematics |
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Vladimir Arnold |
Soviet Union |
Theory of non-linear differential equations |
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Louis Nirenberg |
United States |
1983 |
Geosciences |
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Edward Lorenz |
United States |
Geophysical hydrodynamics |
— |
Henry Stommel |
United States |
1984 |
Biosciences |
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Daniel Janzen |
United States |
Co-evolution |
1985 |
Astronomy |
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Lyman Spitzer |
United States |
Studies of the interstellar medium |
1986 |
Geosciences |
— |
Claude Allègre |
France |
Isotope geochemical relations |
— |
Gerald J. Wasserburg |
United States |
1987 |
Biosciences |
— |
Eugene P. Odum |
United States |
Ecosystem ecology |
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Howard T. Odum |
United States |
1988 |
Mathematics |
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Pierre Deligne |
Belgium
United States |
Algebraic geometry |
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Alexander Grothendieck |
None |
1989 |
Geosciences |
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James Van Allen |
United States |
Exploration of space, the discovery the Van Allen belts |
1990 |
Biosciences |
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Paul R. Ehrlich |
United States |
Dynamics and genetics of fragmented populations |
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E.O. Wilson |
United States |
Theory of island biogeography |
1991 |
Astronomy |
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Allan Rex Sandage |
United States |
Study of galaxies |
1992 |
Geosciences |
— |
Adolf Seilacher |
Germany |
Research into evolution of life |
1993 |
Biosciences |
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W.D. Hamilton |
United Kingdom |
Theories of kin selection and genetic relationship |
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Seymour Benzer |
United States |
Genetical and neurophysiological studies of fruit flies |
1994 |
Mathematics |
— |
Simon Donaldson |
United Kingdom |
Four-dimensional geometry |
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Shing-Tung Yau |
United States |
Non-linear techniques in differential geometry |
1995 |
Geosciences |
— |
Willi Dansgaard |
Denmark |
Development of isotope geological analysis methods |
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Nicholas Shackleton |
United Kingdom |
1996 |
Biosciences |
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Robert M. May |
Australia |
Ecological research |
1997 |
Astronomy |
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Fred Hoyle |
United Kingdom |
Study of nuclear processes in stars, stellar evolution |
— |
Edwin Salpeter |
United States |
1998 |
Geosciences |
— |
Don L. Anderson |
United States |
Study of the structures and processes in the interior of the Earth |
— |
Adam M. Dziewonski |
United States |
1999 |
Biosciences |
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Ernst Mayr |
United States |
Developing the concept of evolutionary biology |
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John Maynard Smith |
United Kingdom |
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George C. Williams |
United States |
2000 |
Polyarthritis |
— |
Marc Feldmann |
United Kingdom |
Definition of TNF-alpha |
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Ravinder N. Maini |
United Kingdom |
2001 |
Mathematics |
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Alain Connes |
France |
Theory of operator algebras, founder of the non-commutative geometry |
2002 |
Geosciences |
— |
Dan P. McKenzie |
United Kingdom |
Dynamics of the lithosphere |
2003 |
Biosciences |
— |
Carl Woese |
United States |
Third domain of life |
2004 |
Polyarthritis |
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Eugene C. Butcher |
United States |
Study of molecular mechanisms concerning white blood cells |
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Timothy A. Springer |
United States |
2005 |
Astronomy |
— |
James E. Gunn |
United States |
Understanding the large-scale structure of the Universe |
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James Peebles |
United States |
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Martin Rees |
United Kingdom |
2006 |
Geosciences |
— |
Wallace S. Broecker |
United States |
Research into the global carbon cycle |
2007 |
Biosciences |
— |
Robert Trivers |
United States |
Analysis of social evolution |
2008 |
Astronomy |
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Rashid Alievich Sunyaev |
Russia |
Contributions to high-energy astrophysics and cosmology |
Mathematics |
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Maxim Kontsevich |
Russia |
Contributions to mathematics from modern theoretical physics |
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Edward Witten |
United States |
2009 |
Polyarthritis |
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Charles Dinarello |
United States |
Isolation of interleukins, understanding their role in the onset of inflammatory diseases |
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Tadamitsu Kishimoto |
Japan |
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Toshio Hirano |
Japan |
2010 |
Geosciences |
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Walter Munk |
United States |
“for his pioneering and fundamental contributions to our understanding of ocean circulation, tides and waves, and their role in the Earth’s dynamics”. |
2011 |
Biosciences |
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Ilkka Hanski |
Finland |
“for his pioneering studies on how spatial variation affects the dynamics of animal and plant populations”. |
2012 |
Astronomy |
— |
Reinhard Genzel |
Germany |
"for their observations of the stars orbiting the galactic centre, indicating the presence of a supermassive black hole". |
— |
Andrea M. Ghez |
United States |
Mathematics |
— |
Jean Bourgain |
Belgium |
“for their brilliant and groundbreaking work in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, ergodic theory, number theory, combinatorics, functional analysis and theoretical computer science". |
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Terence Tao |
Australia
United States |