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Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences

Breakthrough Prize

Principle:

The Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences are given annually for accomplishments in life sciences broadly defined.

Prizes:

Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences – $3 million each. Each year one prize is designated for work contributing to the understanding of Parkinson’s Disease & Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Nominations:

Anyone can nominate a candidate at the online nominations page during the open nominations period.
Self-nominations are not allowed.
A valid nomination will have basic biographical information on the nominee and nominator and at least one third-party letter of recommendation.
One candidate citation from a specified academic publishing database is required, but up to 10 will be accepted per individual in a nomination.
Candidate citations may not be dated more than 15 years prior to the current year.
During the nominations period please see the nominations form at breakthroughprize.org/Nominations.

Selection Committee:

Past recipients of the prizes are invited to serve on the Selection Committee to select recipients of future prizes.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Major Recent Contributions

Winners are recognized for groundbreaking, high-impact achievements in their fields—advances that have likely redefined understanding or practice, such as novel mechanisms, transformative tools, or solutions in disease sciencegate.app+6breakthroughprize.org+6pennmedicine.org+6.

Nominations must include citations—not more than 15 years old—highlighting work that is both recent and seminal breakthroughprize.org.

2. Peer Recognition & High-Quality Output

Nomination by a respected colleague with support letters is mandatory. The nomination committee typically consists of prior winners, ensuring community endorsement .

Studies show that quality over quantity of output matters: metrics like H-index and highly cited papers positively correlate with multiple top-tier awards breakthroughprize.org+4pnas.org+4arxiv.org+4.

3. Innovative, Risk-Taking Work

Prize winners often lead with bold, unconventional ideas, persisting through setbacks and skepticism—hallmarks of high-risk, high-reward science pennmedicine.org.

These contributions tend to push disciplinary boundaries, indicating originality and competitive differentiation .

4. Collaborative and Networked Endeavors

Co-authorship and active engagement in collaborative teams boost visibility and impact. Team science often leads to novel problem-solving and broader influence pnas.org+2pnas.org+2hultprize.org+2.

However, having a prizewinning co-author may sometimes diminish one’s own visibility for additional awards, as credit could accrue to the more prominent senior collaborator pnas.org.

5. Elite Institutional and Peer Networks

Many laureates come from top-tier institutions, benefiting from prestige, visibility, and resource access—but institutional affiliation alone isn't decisive .

Prizes also often interconnect through shared recipients, amplifying one's reputation within elite scientific networks .

6. Nominations & Vetting by Peers

Self-nominations are not allowed—candidates must be nominated and evaluated via letters and committee vetting climatebreakthrough.org+2breakthroughprize.org+2bjc.carrot.net+2.

Selection involves multiple rounds of review, often by past laureates or expert panels .

📊 Summary Table

Predictor	Why It Matters
Groundbreaking recent work	Prize targets transformative contributions in the past decade
High-impact citations (H-index)	Reflects influence and quality of scientific output
Peer nomination & recommendation	Provides validation from respected community members
Bold, innovative ideas	Prize favors risk-taking and paradigm-shifting breakthroughs
Collaborative networks	Boosts reach, novelty, and interdisciplinary synergy
Institutional prestige (plus network effects)	Enhances visibility and award pathways

🎯 Tips for Aspiring Nominees

Advance Bold Projects—focus on world‑changing science with clear, documented outcomes.

Maintain High-Citation, Quality Scholarship—prioritize depth and impact over sheer volume.

Engage in Strong Collaborations—build teams that broaden your scientific reach.

Cultivate Peer Relationships—nurture connections for future nomination support.

Position Your Work—tie it clearly to emerging fields and highlight its novelty.

Ensure Your Nominator Is Credible—ideally, someone with standing in the prize community.

Specialties

Neurosciences

Neurosurgery

Eligibility Requirements

Guidelines:

The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences recognizes major contributions to the field of life sciences, with special attention to recent developments.
There are no age restrictions.
A person can receive a prize more than once.
The Selection Committee may award a prize to more than one person, including to collaborations, jointly and divide the monetary award among them.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Breakthrough Prize

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Rubenstein Communications, Inc. New York, NY Kristen Bothwell +1.212.843.9227

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