The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner. Selection committees for the prizes comprise previous Breakthrough Prize laureates, who choose the winners from a list of candidates obtained during the nomination period.

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation currently is accepting nominations for the 2020 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences, and Mathematics. Now in its eighth year, the competition will honor top scientists with up to five prizes in life sciences, one in fundamental physics, and one in mathematics. Each prize comes with a $3 million award. In addition, up to six New Horizons Prizes, each with an award of $100,000, will be presented to promising early-career researchers in the fields of fundamental physics and mathematics.

In addition to cash prizes, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation hosts a gala awards ceremony to celebrate the laureates’ achievements and foster broad popular support for scientific endeavors. Prize winners also engage in a program of lectures and discussions at a daylong symposium the day after the ceremony.

1) Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics: A single Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics ($3 million prize) will be awarded to an individual(s) who has made a profound contribution to human knowledge. The category is open to any physicist(s) — theoretical, mathematical, and experimental — working on the deepest mysteries of the universe. Nominations also are being accepted for the New Horizons in Physics Prize, which includes up to three $100,000 awards for junior researchers who have already produced important work in their fields.

2) Breakthrough Prize in Life Science: Up to four Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences ($3 million each) will be awarded to individuals who have made a transformative discovery related to living systems and the human lifespan.

3) Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics: OneBreakthrough Prize in Mathematics ($3 million) will be awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of mathematics. In addition, up to three $100,000 New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes will be presented to early-career mathematicians who have already produced important work in the fields.

For complete program guidelines and nomination instructions, see the Breakthrough Prizes website.