The Schuster History of Physics Prize is awarded to a physicist or historian for exceptional
achievements in advancing knowledge providing a new insight on a discovery or research
investigation, clarifying a currently held misconception regarding a scientist’s work, identifying
a contribution by an essentially unknown scientist, improving our understanding of an
established physical concept
The award is named after Peter Maria Schuster in recognition of the part he played in initiating
this conference series. The prize (EUR 1000) is donated jointly by the Austrian Physical Society
(ÖPG) and the History of Physics Groups of the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the European
Physical Society (EPS)
Previous award winners
2016 Helge Stjernholm Kragh (2. HoP Conference in Pollau)
2018 James Arthur Bennett (3. HoP Conference in San Sebastian)
2022 Oliver Darrigol (4. HoP Conference in Dublin)
2025 Dr. Michael Eckert, Deutsches Museum, Munich (5th International Conference on the History of Physics in Coimbra)
Eligibility: Nominees, nominators and referees do not need to be members of EPS, IOP
or ÖPG. Nominees cannot be current members of the Awards Panel. There is no age
or nationality restrictions for eligibility. The applications will be assessed by an
international Awards Panel led by two members of the International Advisory
Committee in consultation with external referees
Nominations: Anyone can nominate an eligible person. In addition to external
nominations, members of the International Advisory Committee can also propose
suitable candidates. Nominators should submit a statement of about 500 words in
support of their nominees
The person to whom the award is made should be invited to deliver an invited talk at
the conference at which the prize is presented
The application deadline is 6 April 2025. The winner will be announced on the
conference website in due time. Nominations should be directed to Heinz Krenn
(heinz.krenn@uni-graz.at)
