The 2016 shared Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Sir J. Fraser Stoddart for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. This was only 9 years after he received our Feynman Prize in the Experimental category for Nanotechnology and illustrates why we grant the prize: To award early pioneering work which most advances the goal for nanotechnology: molecular manufacturing, defined as the construction of atomically-precise products through the use of molecular machine systems. This prize is given in honor of Richard Feynman who, in 1959, gave a visionary talk at Caltech in which he said “The problems of chemistry and biology can be greatly helped if our ability to see what we are doing, and to do things on an atomic level, is ultimately developed — a development which I think cannot be avoided.”
To advance research in Nanotechnology, Foresight Institute sponsors a variety of Prizes, including:
The Foresight Institute Feynman Grand Prize
The Foresight Institute Feynman Grand Prize For Major Advances In Molecular Nanotechnology was announced in 1996 (see Feynman Grand Prize announcement and article in Update 24). The Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology recognizes recent achievements that contribute to the development of nanotechnology; the Grand Prize will be awarded to recognize a crucial milestone on the road to mature molecular manufacturing technology. Please contact [email protected] for further information or if you think you have met the criteria for the Grand Prize.
The Foresight Institute Feynman Prize for Theory
The Foresight Institute Feynman Prize for Theory is awarded for excellence in theory to the researchers whose recent work has most advanced the achievement of Feynman’s goal for nanotechnology: molecular manufacturing, defined as the construction of atomically-precise products through the use of molecular machine systems. The prize entails $5000, an invitation to the award ceremony and technical workshop, and public acknowledgment and support.
The Foresight Institute Feynman Prize for Experiment
The Foresight Institute Feynman Prize for Experiment is awarded for excellence in experimentation to the researchers whose recent work has most advanced the achievement of Feynman’s goal for nanotechnology: molecular manufacturing, defined as the construction of atomically-precise products through the use of molecular machine systems. The prize entails $5000, an invitation to the award ceremony and technical workshop, and public acknowledgment and support.
The Foresight Institute Distinguished Student Award
The Foresight Institute Distinguished Student Award recognizes the College graduate or undergraduate student whose work is considered most notable in advancing the development and understanding of nanotechnology. The prize entails $1000, an invitation to the award ceremony and technical workshop, and public acknowledgment and support.
2022 Foresight Prizes
2021 Foresight Prizes
2020 Foresight Prizes
2019 Foresight Prizes
2018 Foresight Prizes
2017 Foresight Prizes
2016 Foresight Prizes
2015 Foresight Prizes
2014 Foresight Prizes
2013 Foresight Prizes
2012 Foresight Prizes
2011 Foresight Prizes
2010 Foresight Prizes
2009 Foresight Prizes
2008 Foresight Prizes
2007 Foresight Prizes
2006 Foresight Prizes
2005 Foresight Prizes
2004 Foresight Prizes
2003 Foresight Prizes
2002 Foresight Prizes
2001 Foresight Prizes
2000 Foresight Prizes
1999 Foresight Prizes
1998 Foresight Prizes
1997 Foresight Prizes
1995 Foresight Feynman Prize: Nadrian C. Seeman (New York University)
1993 Foresight Feynman Prize: Charles Musgrave (Caltech)
