Astronomy, mathematics, geosciences, biosciences and polyarthritis

Crafoord Prize: winners and how it is awarded

The Crafoord Prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in partnership with the Crafoord Foundation in Lund. It is given in astronomy and mathematics, polyarthritis, geosciences and biosciences.^2,7

How the winner is chosen

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences selects the Crafoord laureates. The disciplines follow a four year cycle: mathematics and astronomy, then polyarthritis, then geosciences, then biosciences.

Winners

1. 2026Veerabhadran Ramanathan¹Geosciences. For basic contributions to understanding how aerosols and other climate pollutants affect the atmospheric energy balance and the Earth system
2. 2025Christopher Goodnow, David Nemazee³Polyarthritis. For the discovery of fundamental mechanisms for B cell tolerance
3. 2024Douglas Gough, Jørgen Christensen-Dalsgaard, Conny Aerts⁴Astronomy. For developing the methods of asteroseismology and their application to the study of the interior of the Sun and of other stars
4. 2024Claire Voisin⁴Mathematics. For outstanding contributions to complex and algebraic geometry, including Hodge theory, algebraic cycles and hyperkähler geometry
5. 2023Dolph Schluter⁵Biosciences. For fundamental contributions to the understanding of adaptive radiation and ecological speciation
6. 2022Andrew H. Knoll⁶Geosciences. For fundamental contributions to our understanding of the first three billion years of life on Earth
7. 2021Daniel L. Kastner⁶Polyarthritis. For establishing the concept of autoinflammatory diseases
8. 2020Eugene N. Parker⁶Astronomy. For pioneering and fundamental studies of the solar wind and magnetic fields from stellar to galactic scales
9. 2020Enrico Bombieri⁶Mathematics. For outstanding and influential contributions in all the major areas of mathematics

Sources

1. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (via EurekAlert), Crafoord Prize in Geosciences 2026 (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences release) (29 January 2026)
2. The Crafoord Prize (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Crafoord Foundation), Laureates (28 October 2026)
3. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Crafoord Prize Laureates discovered mechanisms that prevent autoimmune disease (30 January 2025)
4. The Crafoord Prize, This year's Crafoord Laureates can see inside stars and describe geometric shapes (30 January 2024)
5. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, via idw, Crafoord Prize in Biosciences 2023, press release of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (31 January 2023)
6. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Crafoord Prize Lectures in Astronomy and Mathematics 2020, Polyarthritis 2021 and Geosciences 2022 (28 October 2026)
7. The Crafoord Prize, Crafoord Days 2025, abstracts and programmes (28 October 2026)