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The Crafoord Prize is an international science prize of 8 million Swedish kronor, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in partnership with the Crafoord Foundation. It cannot be applied for: candidates are put forward by nominators the Academy invites, and the prize rotates through four disciplines rather than covering all of them every year. Everything below is as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29.
What it is and who runs it
The Anna-Greta and Holger Crafoord Fund was established in 1980, and the first prize was awarded in 1982. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in partnership with the Crafoord Foundation in Lund, Sweden, awards the prize, and the Academy is responsible for selecting the laureates. The Academy describes the 8 million kronor amount as making it one of the world’s largest scientific prizes.
The prize covers four fields: Mathematics and Astronomy, Polyarthritis, Geosciences, and Biosciences with particular emphasis on ecology. The Academy states that these disciplines were chosen to complement those of the Nobel Prizes. The Crafoord Foundation’s prize site describes polyarthritis as systemic diseases that cause inflammation in the joints.
How the four-year cycle works
The prize is not given in every field every year. One discipline is the focus each year, in a repeating four-year order: Mathematics and Astronomy, then Polyarthritis, then Geosciences, then Biosciences. The prize site adds that since 2012, separate mathematics and astronomy prizes have been awarded at the same time.
For anyone planning around the prize, this means a researcher’s field is only in scope one year in four. A funding office tracking prizes for faculty should check which discipline the current cycle year covers on the Academy’s prize page rather than assume it.
Eligibility: nomination only, no self-application
The Academy invites scientists from all over the world to nominate candidates. There is no open application form for the prize itself, so a researcher cannot enter their own work. The Academy’s page says nominations are submitted in the spring before the award decision year. The pages checked do not set out detailed nomination rules or deadlines, so anyone preparing a nomination should work from the Academy’s own Crafoord Prize pages and the invitation it sends.
The prize should go to one recipient but may be divided among up to three if necessary.
What it funds or requires
The prize itself is a monetary award of 8 million Swedish kronor. It is a recognition of achievement in the prize field rather than project funding, so it carries no proposal, budget or reporting stage of the kind a research grant has. If you are comparing it with project funding, types of grants explains how competitive awards differ from prizes.
Separately, the Academy describes grants announced at the same time as the prize. Individuals and institutions can apply for grants covering scientific equipment and research, scientific publications, conferences and symposia, studies outside Sweden for Swedish researchers, and activities that further research in the prize’s field. These grants are a different route from the prize: they are applied for, whereas the prize is nominated.
Nomination and selection steps
As described by the Academy, the process runs in this order:
- The Academy invites scientists worldwide to submit nominations, in the spring before the award decision year.
- A Prize Committee, made up of members from the relevant Academy classes, reviews and assesses the nominations.
- The Prize Committee and the relevant Academy class each report.
- On the basis of those reports, the Academy decides on the laureate or laureates and on the grant recipients.
Typical timeline phases
Rather than fixed calendar dates, which the Academy sets each cycle, the phases are:
- Nomination phase: invited nominators submit candidates in the spring before the decision year.
- Assessment phase: the Prize Committee reviews the nominations and reports to the relevant class.
- Decision phase: the Academy decides on the laureates and the grant recipients in the spring of the award year.
- Announcement and presentation: the Crafoord Foundation’s prize site describes laureates being announced in January and the prize being presented in April or May at the Crafoord Days.
Common mistakes
- Looking for an application form. The prize is by invited nomination only; the grants the Academy announces alongside it are the part people apply for.
- Assuming the same field every year. The four-year rotation means a field is open one year in four.
- Quoting an out-of-date amount. Prize amounts change over time; the Academy’s current pages state 8 million kronor, so confirm the figure on the official page before quoting it.
- Treating it as project funding. It recognises achievement and does not fund a proposed project. For funding that does, see how to find a research funding sponsor and funding opportunity databases.
- Confusing the sponsor roles. The Crafoord Foundation is the Academy’s partner, and the Academy selects the laureates. The research funder entry covers the wider term.
Related programs
| Program | What it is, as described by its sponsor | How it relates |
|---|---|---|
| Crafoord Prize | 8 million SEK prize in four rotating fields, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences with the Crafoord Foundation; by invited nomination | The subject of this guide |
| Nobel Prizes | The prize fields were chosen to complement those of the Nobel Prizes | The Academy says its fields were chosen to complement the Nobel Prize disciplines |
| Academy grants announced with the prize | Applied-for grants for equipment, research, publications, conferences, study abroad for Swedish researchers and field-related activities | The application-based route linked to the prize |
For individual researcher awards that are applied for, see the research fellowship entry.
FAQ
How much is the Crafoord Prize?
8 million Swedish kronor, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences pages checked on 2026-10-29.
Who awards the Crafoord Prize?
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in partnership with the Crafoord Foundation in Lund, Sweden. The Academy selects the laureates.
Can I apply for the Crafoord Prize?
No. The Academy invites scientists around the world to nominate candidates. Applications are open only for the related grants the Academy announces alongside the prize.
Which fields does it cover?
Mathematics and Astronomy, Polyarthritis, Geosciences, and Biosciences with particular emphasis on ecology, one per year in a four-year rotation.
How many people can share the prize?
It should go to one recipient but may be divided among up to three if necessary.
Sources
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, About the Crafoord Prize: https://www.kva.se/en/prizes/crafoord-prize/about-the-crafoord-prize/ (checked 2026-10-29)
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Crafoord Prize: https://www.kva.se/en/prizes/crafoord-prize/ (checked 2026-10-29)
- Crafoord Foundation, The Crafoord Prize: https://www.crafoordprize.se/about-the-prize/the-crafoord-prize/ (checked 2026-10-29)
