The Prize of the Foundation for Polish Science () is the most prestigious scientific award in Poland given every year from 1992 by a non-governmental non-profit Polish organization, Foundation for Polish Science (). The prize is widely regarded as the top scientific award in Poland. The Prizes awarded in 2013 equal PLN 200,000 (approximately $60,000).
Since 2011, the Prize is awarded in four categories: Life Sciences; Chemical and Material Sciences; Mathematics, Physics and Engineering Sciences; as well as Humanities and Social Sciences. Candidates can be either Polish scientists working in Poland or abroad, foreign ones working there, provided that their achievement has been realized within the territory of the Republic of Poland, as well as foreigners dealing with matters pertaining to Poland.
As of 2025, 125 individuals have been awarded the prize including 13 women. Among the notable winners are: Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, Andrzej Tarkowski, Bohdan Paczyński, Timothy D. Snyder, Anna Wierzbicka, Maciej Gliwicz, Ryszard Gryglewski, Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, Aleksander Wolszczan, Andrzej Udalski, Tomasz Dietl, Andrzej Sobolewski, and Karol Modzelewski.
Criteria The prize honours renowned scientists for significant advancements and scientific discoveries which shift cognitive boundaries and open new perspectives for research, provide an exceptional contribution towards the advancement of our nation's progress and culture as well as assure Poland a significant position for undertaking the most ambitious challenges of the modern world. Subject of the Prize may include clearly defined and confirmed scientific achievements which have in the recent period opened new perspectives for further research.
Recipients Source: Foundation for Polish Science
Life Sciences Year Recipient Institution Justification 1992 Ewa Kamler Institute of Ecology, Polish Academy of Sciences for her Early Life History of Fish: An Energetics Approach published in London by Chapman and Hall 1993 Wiesław Wiktor Jędrzejczak Medical University of Warsaw for his series of studies on the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in blood-cell generation 1994 Krzysztof Selmaj Medical Academy of Łódź for his studies into new immunological mechanisms in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, Multiple Sclerosis in particular 1995 Stanisław Konturek Jagiellonian University for his studies on the importance of local blood circulation in the mucous membrane of the stomach and the duodenum in the cyto-protective function of the mucous 1996 Aleksander Koj Jagiellonian University for a series of papers concerning the regulation of the acute phase protein synthesis 1997 Ryszard Gryglewski Jagiellonian University for a series of studies on the regulation of thromboresistance 1998 Andrzej Szczeklik Jagiellonian University for discovering the anti-thrombotic properties of aspirin, and studies on the pathogenesis and treatment of aspirin-induced bronchial asthma 1999 Maciej Żylicz University of Gdańsk, Medical University of Gdańsk for research on regulatory proteins constituting part of the system protecting cells against undesirable changes in their external environment 2000 Leszek Kaczmarek Polish Academy of Sciences for his work on the impact of stimuli on gene expression in selected brain structures of mammals 2001 Maciej Gliwicz University of Warsaw for revealing the role of predation in shaping animal demography, life histories and behaviour 2002 Mariusz Jaskólski Adam Mickiewicz University for explaining the mechanisms leading to the formation of amyloidal aggregates of human protein (cystatin C): an important factor in various brain disorders and diseases in humans 2003 Roman Kaliszan Gdańsk Medical Academy or applications of mathematical modelling and chromatography in defining the correlation between the chemical structure of drugs and their pharmacological properties 2004 Janusz Limon Department of Biology and Genetics, Gdańsk Medical Academy or his outstanding contribution to the development of cytogenetic methods used in the diagnosis of malignant tumours 2005 Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences for a creative synthesis of research on the Mesozoic evolution of mammals presented in the fundamental work Mammals from the Age of Dinasours (2004) 2006 Mariusz Ratajczak Pomeranian Medical University; University of Louisville for discovering cells functionally resembling embryonic stem cells in bone marrow and umbilical blood 2007 Włodzimierz Krzyżosiak Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences for discovering the mechanism of selective silencing of genetic information that can lead to neurodegenerative diseases 2008 Jacek Oleksyn Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences for his contribution to the discovery of the universal, bio-geographic correlations between plant characteristics, that are fundamental for understanding ecological processes on a global scale 2009 Andrzej Koliński University of Warsaw for development and practical application of unique methods for protein structure prediction 2010 Tomasz Guzik Jagiellonian University for demonstrating the importance of the immune system in the pathogenesis of hypertension 2011 Jan Potempa Jagiellonian University; University of Louisville for the characterization of a new family of bacterial proteases and for demonstration of their role in the development of periodontal disease 2012 Krzysztof Palczewski Case Western Reserve University for characterizing crystal structures of native and activated G protein-coupled receptor, rhodopsin, involved in eyesight 2013 Andrzej Tarkowski University of Warsaw for discoveries explaining the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the early development of mammalian embryos 2014 Tomasz Goslar Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań for his contribution to determining the chronology of changes in C14 carbon isotope concentration in the atmosphere during the last ice age, which is of key importance for contemporary climate research2015 Prize not awarded2016 Jan Kozłowski Institute of Environmental Sciences at Jagiellonian University for formulation and experimental verification of a theory explaining the diversity of life strategies of organisms resulting from optimal allocation of resources 2017 Piotr Trzonkowski Gdańsk Medical University for studies on regulatory T cells and their pioneering use in cell therapy of human diseases 2018 Andrzej Dziembowski Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences for explaining the function of key enzymes involved in RNA degradation, the dysfunction of which leads to pathological states2019 Prize not awarded2020 Jacek Radwan Adam Mickiewicz University for demonstrating the role of evolutionary mechanism for optimizing genetic variability in shaping resistance to pathogens and tolerating own antigens2021 Bożena Kamińska-Kaczmarek Marceli Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences for the discovery of mechanisms that cause malignant gliomas to reprogram immune cells in such a way that they support the development of these brain tumors2022 Marcin Nowotny Medical University of Warsaw for the explanation of the molecular mechanisms of DNA damage recognition and its repair2023 Krzysztof Liberek University of Gdańsk, Medical University of Gdańsk for demonstrating the role of chaperone proteins in recovering proteins from aggregates and folding them into the active form2024 Sebastian Glatt Jagiellonian University for the determination of the structure and function of the Elongator complex, which affects the accuracy of protein biosynthesis2025 Ewelina Knapska Polish Academy of Sciences for discovering the neuronal mechanisms underlying intra- and interspecies transmission of emotions.
Chemical and Materials Sciences