Fields Medal facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Fields Medal
The obverse of the Fields Medal
Presented by	International Mathematical Union
Reward	CA$15,000
First awarded	1936; 89 years ago (1936)
Last awarded	2022 (2022)

The Fields Medal is a special award given to talented mathematicians. It is presented to two, three, or four mathematicians who are under 40 years old. This happens every four years at a big meeting called the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU). The award is named after a Canadian mathematician, John Charles Fields.

Many people think the Fields Medal is one of the highest honors a mathematician can get. It is often called the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics." However, there are some differences. For example, the Fields Medal is given out every four years, not every year. It also has an age limit, and the prize money is different. Still, experts agree that the Fields Medal is the top award in mathematics worldwide. Since 2006, the prize has included a monetary award of CA$15,000. John Charles Fields helped create this award and even designed the medal himself.

The first Fields Medals were given in 1936 to Lars Ahlfors from Finland and Jesse Douglas from the United States. Since 1950, it has been awarded every four years. The main goal is to celebrate and support young mathematicians who have made important discoveries. In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani from Iran became the first woman to win the Fields Medal. So far, 64 people have received this honor. The most recent awards were given on July 5, 2022, during an online event.

What are the Rules for the Fields Medal?
Famous Moments in Fields Medal History
About the Medal Itself
Female Winners of the Fields Medal
Images for kids
See also

What are the Rules for the Fields Medal?

The Fields Medal is known as the most important award in mathematics. Unlike the Nobel Prize, it is only given out every four years. There is also a strict age limit: a winner must be under 40 years old on January 1st of the year they receive the medal. This rule was set by John Charles Fields. He wanted the award to recognize past work but also to encourage winners to keep achieving great things. It also inspires other young mathematicians to work hard. A person can only win the Fields Medal once.

The medal was first given in 1936. As of 2022, 64 people have won it. Most winners have a PhD in mathematics. However, two winners, Edward Witten and Martin Hairer, had PhDs in physics.

Famous Moments in Fields Medal History

Over the years, there have been many memorable moments related to the Fields Medal:

First Winners: In 1936, Lars Ahlfors and Jesse Douglas were the very first to receive the medal.
Youngest Winner: In 1954, Jean-Pierre Serre became the youngest winner ever at just 27 years old. He still holds this record!
Boycotts and Restrictions:

* In 1966, Alexander Grothendieck chose not to attend the ceremony in Moscow. He was protesting Soviet military actions. Someone else accepted the medal for him. * In 1970, Sergei Novikov could not travel to France to get his medal. The Soviet government had placed restrictions on him. * Similarly, in 1978, Grigory Margulis was also unable to travel from the Soviet Union to receive his medal in Finland.

Rescheduled Ceremony: In 1982, the ceremony was supposed to be in Poland. But it had to be moved to 1983 because of a special law called martial law in Poland.
First Physicist Winner: In 1990, Edward Witten made history as the first physicist to win the Fields Medal.
Special Recognition: In 1998, Andrew Wiles received a special silver plaque. This was to honor his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. He was too old for the Fields Medal at the time, but his work was incredibly important.
Declined Award: In 2006, Grigori Perelman famously refused his Fields Medal. He had solved the difficult Poincaré conjecture.
Breaking Barriers:

* In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani became the first woman and first Iranian to win the medal. * Artur Avila became the first South American winner that same year. * Manjul Bhargava became the first person of Indian origin to win. * In 2022, Maryna Viazovska became the first Ukrainian winner. * June Huh became the first person of Korean background to receive the award.

About the Medal Itself

The reverse of the Fields Medal

The Fields Medal was designed by a Canadian artist named R. Tait McKenzie. It is made of 14-karat gold and weighs about 169 grams.

Front Side: On the front, you can see a picture of Archimedes, a famous ancient Greek mathematician. There's also a Latin quote that means "To surpass one's understanding and master the world." The year 1933 is written in Roman numerals, but it has a small mistake.
Back Side: The back of the medal has a Latin inscription that translates to: "Mathematicians gathered from the entire world have awarded [this prize] for outstanding writings." In the background, you can see a picture of Archimedes' tomb. It shows a carving of his most famous math discovery about the relationship between a sphere and a cylinder.
Edge: The name of the person who won the medal is written around the edge.