Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
The Templeton Prize is an annual award, not a grant, and there is no application form: candidates are proposed by a group of anonymous, invited expert nominators and ranked by independent judges. For a research office, that means there is nothing to submit, no compliance reporting and no deadline to track. This guide sets out, as described on the official Templeton Prize website on 2026-10-29, what the prize is, who runs it, what it provides and how laureates are chosen.
What the Templeton Prize is and who runs it
The Templeton Prize was established in 1972. Its official website describes it as the first major philanthropic venture of Sir John Templeton and a joint activity of the Templeton philanthropies. It honors individuals whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton’s philanthropic vision.
According to the official FAQ, three Templeton philanthropies founded by Sir John Templeton jointly support the Prize: the John Templeton Foundation, the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust. The Prize is therefore a shared activity, not a program of a single foundation. For the funders’ grant-making, see Templeton World Charity Foundation grant programs.
Recent laureates named on the official site
The official site announced Prof. Simon Conway Morris, a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist, as the 2026 laureate on April 21, 2026. The 2025 laureate, announced on September 29, 2025, was His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The two announcements show the range of fields the Prize covers, from natural science to religious leadership.
Who is eligible
The Prize honors a living individual who exemplifies the purpose statement of the Prize, recognized for a cumulative body of work, as described in the official article on the selection process. Laureates can be scientists, scholars, opinion leaders or religious leaders. The official FAQ adds that laureates may come from any country and represent any religious or spiritual perspective.
Eligibility is defined by the Prize’s purpose and criteria of merit, not by institution type, discipline or career stage, and there is no applicant category. The official site describes the Prize as honoring individuals.
What the prize provides
The official FAQ describes the award as a monetary award currently valued at GBP 1.1 million (shown on the page as £1.1 million). That is a prize to the laureate for past achievement, not project funding. It is not a sponsored research award, so no proposal, budget or post-award reporting stage applies.
How candidates are chosen (there is no application)
Candidates are not applicants. The FAQ states that a group of anonymous outside nominators is invited to propose candidates, and that nominators are chosen for expertise related to the criteria of merit. The selection-process article describes the same arrangement: candidates are submitted by a select group of anonymous, expert nominators.
That article, dated March 18, 2020, introduced the revised process used from the 2020 Prize cycle. After nominations are reviewed, finalists go to independent judges, who vote independently on how well each finalist reflects the Prize’s purpose and criteria. The FAQ likewise says external judges independently rank the nominees on how well they fulfill the criteria of merit.
Typical process phases
The official pages describe the sequence below. No calendar dates are given for the phases.
- Nomination. Invited, anonymous expert nominators propose candidates.
- Review. Nominations are reviewed and finalists identified.
- Judging. External judges independently rank or vote on the finalists against the criteria of merit.
- Announcement. The laureate is announced on the official site.
Common misunderstandings
- Treating it as a grant. It honors cumulative achievement. No proposal, budget or award-terms stage is described.
- Looking for an application portal. Nominators are invited and anonymous, so there is no public form to look for. Third-party deadline listings are not an official source.
- Assuming one funder. Three Templeton philanthropies jointly support the Prize.
- Assuming a religious or a scientific test only. Laureates may represent any religious or spiritual perspective, and the Prize recognizes scientists, scholars, opinion leaders and religious leaders.
Related Templeton programs
The table lists only the three supporting entities named in the official FAQ.
| Entity | Relationship to the Prize (per official FAQ) |
|---|---|
| John Templeton Foundation | One of three philanthropies that jointly support the Prize |
| Templeton World Charity Foundation | One of three philanthropies that jointly support the Prize |
| Templeton Religion Trust | One of three philanthropies that jointly support the Prize |
For how private foundations differ from federal sponsors, see private foundation research funding and major private foundations that fund institutional research. Fields that overlap with the Prize’s range are covered in What Is Religious Studies? and What Is Philosophy of Science?.
FAQ
Can I apply for the Templeton Prize?
There is no application process described on the official site. Candidates are proposed by an invited group of anonymous expert nominators.
How much is the Templeton Prize worth?
The official FAQ describes it as a monetary award currently valued at GBP 1.1 million, as described on 2026-10-29.
Who funds the Templeton Prize?
The John Templeton Foundation, the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust jointly support it.
Who decides the winner?
External judges independently rank the nominees on how well they fulfill the criteria of merit, after nominators propose candidates.
Who has won recently?
The official site names Prof. Simon Conway Morris as the 2026 laureate and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as the 2025 laureate.
Sources
- Templeton Prize, official home page: https://www.templetonprize.org/ (checked 2026-10-29)
- Templeton Prize, “Introducing our selection process”: https://www.templetonprize.org/introducing-our-selection-process/ (article dated March 18, 2020; checked 2026-10-29)
- Templeton Prize, FAQ: https://www.templetonprize.org/faq/ (checked 2026-10-29)
Prize terms can change; the details above are as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29.
