Fields Medal Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Fields Medal
The front of the Fields Medal shows Archimedes
Presented by	International Mathematical Union
Reward	CA$15,000
First awarded	1936; 90 years ago (1936)

The Fields Medal is a very special award given to brilliant young mathematicians. It's often called the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics" because it's one of the highest honors a mathematician can receive! This medal is given to two, three, or four mathematicians who are under 40 years old. It happens every four years at a big meeting called the International Congress of Mathematicians, organized by the International Mathematical Union (IMU).

The award is named after a Canadian mathematician, John Charles Fields. Its main goal is to celebrate and support young researchers who have made amazing discoveries in mathematics. The prize also includes a monetary award of CA$15,000.

The first Fields Medals were given out in 1936 to Lars Ahlfors from Finland and Jesse Douglas from the United States. After a break, the awards have been given every four years since 1950. A total of 68 people have received this medal as of 2026. The most recent awards were given on July 23, 2026, in Philadelphia. In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani from Iran made history as the first woman to win the Fields Medal.

Exciting Moments in Fields Medal History
What Does the Medal Look Like?
Women Who Have Won the Fields Medal
Images for kids
See also

Exciting Moments in Fields Medal History

The very first Fields Medals were given in 1936 to Lars Ahlfors and Jesse Douglas.
In 1954, Jean-Pierre Serre became the youngest winner ever, at just 27 years old! He still holds that record.
Sometimes, winners couldn't attend the ceremony. In 1966, Alexander Grothendieck chose not to go to the meeting in Moscow due to political reasons. Someone else accepted the medal for him.
Later, in 1970 and 1978, Sergei Novikov and Grigory Margulis faced travel restrictions from their government. They could not receive their medals in person.
The 1982 awards ceremony had to be moved to 1983 because of political unrest in Poland.
In 1990, Edward Witten became the first person with a physics background to win the medal.
In 1998, Andrew Wiles received a special silver plaque for his amazing proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. He was a bit older than the usual age limit for the Fields Medal, but his work was incredibly important.
A famous moment happened in 2006 when Grigori Perelman, who solved the difficult Poincaré conjecture, decided to refuse his Fields Medal. He said he wasn't interested in fame or being in the spotlight.
The 2014 awards were historic! Maryam Mirzakhani became the first woman and first Iranian to win. Artur Avila was the first from South America, and Manjul Bhargava was the first person of Indian origin to receive the medal.
In 2022, Maryna Viazovska from Ukraine became the second woman to win.
And just recently, in 2026, Hong Wang from China became the third woman to be awarded the Fields Medal.

What Does the Medal Look Like?

The Fields Medal was designed by a Canadian sculptor named R. Tait McKenzie. It's made of 14-karat gold, is about 6.35 cm wide, and weighs 169 grams.

On the front, you'll see a picture of Archimedes, a famous ancient Greek mathematician. There's also a Latin quote that means: "To go beyond your own understanding and master the world." The year 1933 is written, but with a small mistake in the Roman numerals!
On the back, there's another Latin message that translates to: "Mathematicians gathered from the entire world have awarded this prize for outstanding writings."
You can also see a drawing of what is believed to be Archimedes' tomb. It shows a carving of his favorite math discovery: the relationship between a sphere and a cylinder that perfectly fits around it. He was very proud that the sphere's volume is two-thirds of the cylinder's volume!
The name of the winner is engraved around the edge of the medal.