Abel Prize

21/08/2026

Happy Birthday to Endre Szemerédi! 🥳

He received the Abel Prize in 2012 "for his fundamental contributions to discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science, and in recognition of the profound and lasting impact of these contributions on additive number theory and ergodic theory".

Get to know the man behind the mathematics! In our YouTube video, he talks about everything from how his ideas take shape to his fascination with soccer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxp7Nqo8o8o&list=PLKeZo7pFBx1s-k4n9CcqOtPVy3cWnh3ap&index=7

05/08/2026

Niels Henrik Abel (5 August 1802–6 April 1829) was born on this day, August 5th. Abel was one of history's most remarkable mathematicians.

Before the age of 27, Abel transformed mathematics. He proved that there is no general algebraic solution to the quintic equation, a problem that had challenged mathematicians for more than 250 years.

Abel made pioneering contributions to the theory of elliptic functions and discovered what are now known as Abelian functions, work that continues to shape modern mathematics.

Despite living in poverty and dying far too young, Abel's ideas have shaped generations of mathematical research. As the French mathematician Charles Hermite famously said:

"Abel has left mathematicians enough to keep them busy for five hundred years."

Today, his legacy lives on through the Abel Prize, one of the world's highest honours in mathematics, celebrating the breakthroughs that continue to expand the frontiers of human knowledge.

Happy birthday, Niels Henrik Abel.



Drawing of Niels Henrik Abel was made by the Norwegian artist and painter Johan Gørbitz during their time in Paris. Photo: By courtesy of Institute of Mathematics / Matematisk institutt / UiO / Universitetet i Oslo (UiO), Norway.

29/07/2026

Philadelphia! We had a blast! Thank you for meeting with us at The Abel Prize Reception and for Everything Mathematics with Karen Uhlenbeck (Abel Prize laureate 2019) and journalist Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger from plus.mats.org. Great opening remarks by the new Chair of The Abel Prize Committee, Eugenia Malinnikova.

28/07/2026

One month. New ideas. Lasting collaborations.

The Abel Visiting Scholar Program supports mathematicians from developing countries through international research visits, helping build stronger mathematical communities worldwide. Thanks to IMU for organizing this!

Learn more at the Abel Prize poster during
See the poster (presentation) at ICM, Philadelphia Convention Center, 117A

The Abel Prize Communicaton Team are having a reception at the same time (we are double booked!), so we will be in Room 120. See the whole poster (design by Eirik Furu Baardsen / DNVA) by yourself – and we encourage you to bring a new (mathematical) friend.

Learn more at the Abel Prize poster during .

28/07/2026

Happy Birthday to this year’s Abel Prize laureate, Gerd Faltings! 🥳

He received the 2026 Abel Prize "for introducing powerful tools in arithmetic geometry and resolving long-standing diophantine conjectures of Mordell and Lang."

Faltings became a superstar in his profession almost overnight when he proved the legendary Mordell Conjecture, a breakthrough that transformed modern arithmetic geometry.

What is academic fame really like? Are “Eureka” moments a myth? And what role does gardening play in his life outside mathematics? Watch the official Abel Prize Laureate Portrait 2026 on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8gqrsYY3eY&t=102s

27/07/2026

There’s always room for one more Abel Friend!

We would like to invite you to Everything Mathematics – An Abel Prize Reception at ICM, Philadelphia. A few seats are still available on Tuesday at 5 PM.

Welcome remarks by Professor Eugenia Malinnikova, newly appointed Chair of the Abel Prize Committee.

Join us for a conversation with Karen Uhlenbeck, hosted by science journalists Marianne Freiberger and Rachel Thomas from plus.maths.org, followed by refreshments and the chance to meet fellow mathematicians and be part of the Abel Friend Community.

📍 Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 120C
🗓️ July 28, 5:00 PM
The interview session begins at 5.15 PM and will go on for approximately 15 minutes.

Registration is very required:
https://dnva.pameldingssystem.no/reception-on-the-occasion-of-the-abel-lecture-1
There is only a few seats left!

Please note that the intended Abel Lecture unfortunately had to be canceled.
Photos: Peter Badge / Typos1 / The Abel Prize and Unni Irmelin Kvam / DNVA

24/07/2026

We're grateful to the International Mathematical Union (IMU) for welcoming us from the Abel Prize team to their stand today. Find us in Philadelphia Convention Center from around 10 AM, Friday 24th of July.

If you're at ICM in Philadelphia, we'd be delighted if you stopped by. Whether you have questions about the Abel Prize or simply want to meet the team, we'd love to chat!

Come and talk to us about the Abel Prize. We look forward to meeting you!

As a perk, the Abel Prize team are giving away this year's very special t-shirt. Every year brings a new Abel Prize T-shirt colour. 2026 is a yellow year!We have a feeling they will go into history as the boldest t-shrit ever!

We've heard that some people are actually collecting them. Don't get it on the black market: Get it from us today! This year's yellow-and-brown combination? We're unofficially calling it the Banana Edition. 🍌

Photos: Unni Irmelin Kvam / DNVA / The Abel Prize

23/07/2026

Today in Philadelphia by International Mathematical Union: The Fields Medal for mathematicians under the age of 40 is awarded every fourth year during the Opening Ceremony for the International Congress of Mathematicians

We congratulate the four Fields Medalist of 2026!

Our heartfelt congratulations goes to Yu Deng (The University of Chicago, John Pardon (Stony Brook University),
Jacob Tsimerman (University of Toronto) and
Hong Wang (New York University, Courant Institute)

The up-coming generation of mathematicians were applauded on stage today. Beautifully videos, both personal and filled with mathematical science, gave us real insight in the life and work of four very different awardees!

As always, today's Fields Medalists stand firmly on their own achievements.

The Fields Medal celebrates a new generation of mathematical talent, whose independent achievements build on — and often redefine — the traditions established by earlier generations.

Read more about it:
https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/fields-medal/fields-medals-2026

Videos by IMU. Photos by Unni Irmelin Kvam / The Abel Prize

21/07/2026

20/07/2026

If you see parts of The Abel Prize Team, please come up to us and say hi! The Abel Prize will be attending the ICM –
International Congress of Mathematicians 2026 in Philadelphia, US

Thursday, July 23rd to Thursday, July 30, 2026
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Photos:
Helge Holden (Photo by Trond Chr. Løkke / DNVA)
Pål Pettersen (Photo by Unni Irmelin Kvam / DNVA)
Unni Irmelin Kvam (Photo by Thomas B. Eckhoff)