The Wolf Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and Arts.
The Wolf Prize in Chemistry is considered to be one of the most prestigious international chemistry awards, behind only the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. [1] Becoming a Wolf Prize laureate has been viewed as a potential precursor to receiving the Nobel Prize. [2] As of 2022, 12 awardees have subsequently become Nobel laureates; the most recent of those is Carolyn Bertozzi, who received the Nobel Prize the same year.
Year | Name | Nationality | Citation |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Carl Djerassi | ![]() | for his work in bioorganic chemistry, application of new spectroscopic techniques, and his support of international cooperation. |
1979 | Herman Mark | ![]() | for his contributions to understanding the structure and behavior of natural and synthetic polymers. |
1980 | Henry Eyring | ![]() | for his development of absolute rate theory and its imaginative applications to chemical and physical processes. |
1981 | Joseph Chatt | ![]() | for pioneering and fundamental contributions to synthetic transition metal chemistry, particularly transition metal hydrides and dinitrogen complexes. |
1982 | John Charles Polanyi | ![]() ![]() | for his studies of chemical reactions in unprecedented detail by developing the infrared chemiluminescence technique, and for envisaging the chemical laser. |
George C. Pimentel | ![]() | for development of matrix isolation spectroscopy and for the discovery of photodissociation lasers and chemical lasers. | |
1983/4 | Herbert S. Gutowsky | ![]() | for his pioneering work in the development and applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in chemistry. |
Harden M. McConnell | ![]() | for his studies of the electronic structure of molecules through paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and for the introduction and biological applications of spin label techniques. | |
John S. Waugh | ![]() | for his fundamental theoretical and experimental contributions to high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in solids. | |
1984/5 | Rudolph A. Marcus | ![]() ![]() | for his contributions to chemical kinetics, especially the theories of unimolecular reactions and electron transfer reactions. |
1986 | Elias James Corey | ![]() | for outstanding research on the synthesis of many highly complex natural products and the demonstration of novel ways of thinking about such syntheses. |
Albert Eschenmoser | ![]() | for outstanding research on the synthesis, stereochemistry and reaction mechanisms for formation of natural products, especially Vitamin-B12. | |
1987 | David C. Phillips David M. Blow | ![]() ![]() | for their contributions to protein X-ray crystallography and to the elucidation of structures of enzymes and their mechanisms of action. |
1988 | Joshua Jortner Raphael David Levine | ![]() ![]() | for their incisive theoretical studies elucidating energy acquisition and disposal in molecular systems and mechanisms for dynamical selectivity and specificity. |
1989 | Duilio Arigoni Alan R. Battersby | ![]() ![]() | for their fundamental contributions to the elucidation of the mechanism of enzymic reactions and of the biosynthesis of natural products, in particular the pigments of life. |
1990 | No award | ||
1991 | Richard R. Ernst | ![]() | for his revolutionary contributions to NMR spectroscopy, especially Fourier-transform and two-dimensional NMR |
Alexander Pines | ![]() ![]() | for his revolutionary contributions to NMR spectroscopy, especially multiple-quantum and high-spin NMR. | |
1992 | John Pople | ![]() | for his outstanding contributions to theoretical chemistry, particularly in developing effective and widely used modern quantum- chemical methods. |
1993 | Ahmed Hassan Zewail | ![]() ![]() | for pioneering the development of laser femtochemistry. Using lasers and molecular beams, femtochemistry has made it now possible to probe the evolution of chemical reactions as they actually happen in real time. |
1994/5 | Richard Lerner Peter Schultz | ![]() ![]() | for developing catalytic antibodies, thus permitting the catalysis of chemical reactions considered impossible to achieve by classical chemical procedures. |
1995/6 | Gilbert Stork Samuel J. Danishefsky | ![]() ![]() | for designing and developing novel chemical reactions which have opened new avenues to the synthesis of complex molecules, particularly polysaccharides and many other biologically and medicinally important compounds. |
1996/7 | No award | ||
1998 | Gerhard Ertl Gabor A. Somorjai | ![]() ![]() ![]() | for their outstanding contributions to the field of the surface science in general, and for their elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic reactions at single crystal surfaces in particular. |
1999 | Raymond U. Lemieux | ![]() | for his fundamental and seminal contributions to the study and synthesis of oligosaccharides and to the elucidation of their role in molecular recognition in biological systems. |
2000 | Frank Albert Cotton | ![]() | for opening up an entirely new phase of transition metal chemistry based on pairs and clusters of metal atoms directly linked by single or multiple bonds. |
2001 | Henri B. Kagan Ryōji Noyori K. Barry Sharpless | ![]() ![]() ![]() | for their pioneering, creative and crucial work in developing asymmetric catalysis for the synthesis of chiral molecules, greatly increasing mankind's ability to create new products of fundamental and practical importance. |
2002/3 | No award | ||
2004 | Harry B. Gray | ![]() | for pioneering work in bio-inorganic chemistry, unravelling novel principles of structure and long-range electron transfer in proteins. |
2005 | Richard N. Zare | ![]() | for his ingenious applications of laser techniques, for identifying complex mechanisms in molecules, and their use in analytical chemistry. |
2006/7 | Ada Yonath George Feher | ![]() ![]() ![]() | for ingenious structural discoveries of the ribosomal machinery of peptide-bond formation and the light-driven primary processes in photosynthesis. |
2008 | William E. Moerner Allen J. Bard | ![]() ![]() | for the ingenious creation of a new field of science, single molecule spectroscopy and electrochemistry, with impact at the nanoscopic regime, from the molecular and cellular domain to complex material systems. |
2009 | No award | ||
2010 | No award | ||
2011 | Stuart A. Rice Ching W. Tang Krzysztof Matyjaszewski | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | for the deep creative contributions to the chemical sciences in the field of synthesis, properties and an understanding of organic materials. |
2012 | A. Paul Alivisatos | ![]() | for his development of the colloidal inorganic nanocrystal as a building block of nanoscience and for making fundamental contributions to controlling the synthesis of these particles, to measuring and understanding their physical properties. [4] |
Charles M. Lieber | ![]() | for his seminal contributions to nanochemistry and particularly the synthesis of single-crystalline semiconductor nanowires, characterization of the fundamental physical properties of nanowires, and their application to electronics, photonics and nanomedicine. [5] | |
2013 | Robert S. Langer | ![]() | for conceiving and implementing advances in polymer chemistry that provide both controlled drug-release systems and new biomaterials. |
2014 | Chi-Huey Wong | ![]() ![]() | for his numerous and original contributions to the development of innovative methods for the programmable and applied synthesis of complex oligosaccharides and glycol-proteins. |
2015 | No award | ||
2016 | Kyriacos Costa Nicolaou | ![]() ![]() | for advancing the field of chemical synthesis to the extremes of molecular complexity, linking structure and function and expanding our dominion over the interface of chemistry, biology and medicine. |
Stuart Schreiber | ![]() | for pioneering chemical insights into the logic of signal transduction and gene regulation that led to important, new therapeutics and for advancing chemical biology and medicine through the discovery of small-molecule probes. | |
2017 | Robert G. Bergman | ![]() | for his discovery of the activation responses of carbon-hydrogen bonds in hydrocarbons by soluble organometallic complexes. |
2018 | Omar M. Yaghi | ![]() ![]() | for pioneering reticular chemistry via metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). |
Makoto Fujita | ![]() | for conceiving metal-directed assembly principles leading to large highly porous complexes. | |
2019 | Stephen L. Buchwald John F. Hartwig | ![]() ![]() | for pioneering the development of transition metal catalyzed procedures that are broadly applicable and allow carbon-heteroatom bonds of all sorts to be formed with previously unknown efficiency and precision. [6] |
2020 | No award | ||
2021 | Leslie Leiserowitz Meir Lahav | ![]() ![]() | for collaboratively established the fundamental reciprocal influences of three-dimensional molecular structure upon structures of organic crystals. [7] |
2022 | Bonnie L. Bassler Carolyn R. Bertozzi Benjamin F. Cravatt | ![]() ![]() ![]() | for their seminal contributions to understanding the chemistry of cellular communication and inventing chemical methodologies to study the role of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in such biological processes. [8] |
2023 | Chuan He Hiroaki Suga Jeffery W. Kelly | ![]() ![]() ![]() | for pioneering discoveries that illuminate the functions and pathological dysfunctions of RNA and proteins and for creating strategies to harness the capabilities of these biopolymers in new ways to ameliorate human diseases. [9] |
2024 | No award |
Below is a chart of all laureates per country (updated to 2023 laureates). Some laureates are counted more than once if they have multiple citizenships.
Country | Number of laureates |
---|---|
![]() | 38 |
![]() | 5 |
![]() | 5 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 2 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
Below is a chart of all laureates per country (updated to 2023 laureates). Some laureates are counted more than once if they have multiple citizenships.
Country | Number of prizes |
---|---|
![]() | 30 |
![]() | 5 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 3 |
![]() | 2 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
![]() | 1 |
The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes awarded to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind, as established by the 1895 will of Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist Alfred Nobel, in the year before he died. Prizes were first awarded in 1901 by the Nobel Foundation. Nobel's will indicated that the awards should be granted in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. A sixth prize for Economic Sciences, endowed by Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, and first presented in 1969, is also frequently included, as it is also administered by the Nobel Foundation. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards available in their respective fields.
The Nobel Prize in Physics is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901, the others being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Physics is traditionally the first award presented in the Nobel Prize ceremony.
The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for "achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of nationality, race, colour, religion, sex or political views."
The Japan Prize is awarded to individuals whose original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind. As of 2024, the Japan Prize has been awarded to 111 people from more than ten countries.
The Wolf Prize in Mathematics is awarded almost annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Medicine, Physics and Arts. The Wolf Prize includes a monetary award of $100,000.
The Wolf Prize in Arts is awarded annually by the not-for-profit Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation, and has been awarded since 1981; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine and Physics, awarded since 1978. The Prize rotates annually among painting, music, architecture and sculpture.
The Wolf Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine and Arts.
The Wolf Prize in Medicine is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Arts. The Prize has been stated to be the second most prestigious award in science, and a significant predictor of the Nobel Prize.
The Wolf Prize in Agriculture is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and the Arts. The Prize is sometimes considered the equivalent of a "Nobel Prize in Agriculture".
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation, and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry which consists of five members elected by the Academy. The award is presented in Stockholm at an annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually to people who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History describes it as "the most prestigious prize in the world."
The Global Energy Prize is an international award in the field of energy industry which is given for "outstanding scientific research and scientific-technical developments in the field of energy which promote greater efficiency and environmental security for energy sources on Earth in the interests of all mankind".
The Genesis Prize is a $1 million annual prize awarded to Jewish people who have achieved significant professional success, in recognition of their accomplishments, contributions to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values.