Awards

The Athena Award rewards female researchers that stand out, and because of that are role models for others. Role models are important for female researchers who are starting their careers. These role models demonstrate that a career in science is possible.

Diversity and inclusion are important for the quality of science and the impact of science on society. In the Netherlands, the percentage of women working in (natural) sciences is low. This percentage is even lower in more senior positions: only 18,5% of professors in (natural) science disciplines is female (source: LNVH Monitor Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren 2021).

Through the Athena Award, the NWO Domain Science wants to place female role models working in (natural) scientific disciplines in the spotlight. Role models are important for all researchers who are starting their careers. These role models demonstrate that a career in science is possible.

This award is for outstanding female researchers.  Dr Monika Mościbrodzka (RUN) will receive the Athena Award 2022 at NWO Physics. She gets a sum of €50,000, to be spent on diversity and inclusion, especially for making role models more visible in the scientific community.

The Minerva Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young female or non-binary physicist in the Netherlands with an overall performance that scientifically excels in any subfield of physics. The Minerva Prize is a joint award by the Dutch Physics Council (DPC) and the Netherlands’ Physical Society (NNV) with the aim to support gender diversity in the Dutch physics community.

Both experimental and theoretical scientific physics research carried out at Dutch universities, research institutes (incl. TO2 institutes), university medical centers, or at universities of applied sciences are taken into account.

The prize is a tribute, and the laureate serves as an inspiring example for others. The winner receives a sum of € 5,000 that can be spent as wished, together with a prize certificate, and is invited to present their research at a national meeting.

The Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa thesis award is annually awarded by the Dutch Physics Council. The award recognizes an outstanding PhD thesis in the field of physics, defended at a Dutch university in the previous year. The prize is open to nominations in any subfield of physics, and for theoretical as well as experimental work. The winner receives € 5,000.

This year, there will be three poster awards at NWO Physics:

• NWO Physics poster jury award: This prize was established to underline the importance of a clear and engaging presentation of research results. The prize is presented yearly to the author of the best poster at NWO Physics. The prize consists of an amount of € 500 to be spent at liberty by the winner.
• Audience award: The poster with the most votes on the conference platform will be awarded the audience prize which consists of € 250 to be spent at liberty by the winner.
• Science communication award: This prize stimulates researchers to pay attention to science communication. The prize focusses specifically on the science communications aspects of the poster and its presentation. Key aspects here will be the presentation, both oral and on the poster, and how well the poster is geared towards the broad physics audience present at NWO Physics. This prize consists of an amount of € 250 to be spent at liberty by the winner.

All poster prizes will be awarded on Wednesday 5 April 2023 at the end of the conference day in the Beneluxzaal. If the nominated winner is not present during the ceremony, the prize will be awarded to the runner-up.