Over the past 60 years, the Heineken Prizes have become established as internationally recognised awards for excellence in art and science. Since their inception, new fields of science have emerged, prompted by noteworthy breakthroughs. To ensure that the Heineken Prizes for Sciences continue to align with the ever-changing world of science, their structure and nomination process are being updated, effective from the 2027 edition.
“Science is the foundation of human progress, and this progress has led to the emergence of new research disciplines. The Heineken Prizes for Sciences must follow suit and reflect the evolving direction of scientific expertise,” says the Heineken family.
Advice from the Scientific Advisory Council
With the Heineken Prizes for Sciences seeking to acknowledge timely excellence in science, the Scientific Advisory Council (SAC), consisting of respected experts from scientific research and innovation in the Netherlands was invited to review the scientific domains represented by the prizes.
Recommendations proposed by the SAC were guided by several principles such as establishing prizes that cover broad scientific domains instead of narrow categories, alignment with the evolving scientific landscapes, ensuring continuity with the existing prizes, and aligning with the categories of the Heineken Young Scientists Awards where achievable.
These recommendations were carefully considered by the Board of the Alfred Heineken Fondsen Foundation (Foundation) and contributed to the final decisions made with regard to restructuring the Heineken Prizes for Sciences.
Updated prize structure and nomination process
From 2027 onwards, five Heineken Prizes for Sciences will be awarded biennially:
- Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Natural Sciences
- Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for (Bio)medical and Clinical Sciences
- Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Humanities
- Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
- C. L. de Carvalho-Heineken Prize for Cognitive Sciences and Intelligent Systems
The aforementioned prize categorizations apply to future editions of the Heineken Prizes for Sciences only. The names and status of past prizes awarded remain unchanged, preserving the history and legacy of the Heineken Prizes.
In addition to the updated prize structure, the nomination process for the Heineken Prizes for Sciences will be by invitation only, starting with the 2027 edition. The Foundation will invite university boards and directors of research institutions, national academies, and previous Heineken Prize laureates to nominate candidates.
Commitment to excellence and legacy
These changes to the structure of the Heineken Prizes for Sciences and the nomination process ensure that the commitment to scientific excellence, independent selection, and the international reputation of the Heineken Prizes remain at the heart of the awards.
“The Heineken Prizes is a brand to be cherished,” says the Heineken family. “Over the past 60 years, the awards have acquired a reputation for recognising excellence in science and art. We are passionate about continuing this tradition and ensuring that future laureates are afforded this established platform to share their breakthroughs and creativity with the world.”