Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy

The Pierce Prize recognizes outstanding achievement of an early-career individual over the past five years in observational astronomical research based on measurements of radiation from an astronomical object. It is normally awarded annually.

Eligibility:

  • Candidate must be an astronomer who has not attained 36 years of age in the year designated for the award (note, however, that suspensions of career progress due to documented family or medical leave may be allowed as a factor in considering a person's eligibility).
    Example: For the 2027 prize (nominations in 2026), the recipient must have been born in 1992 or later.
  • Resident of North America (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico), or a member of a North American institution stationed abroad, as of the date the award is announced (usually at the January AAS Meeting following selection)
  • No individual candidate is eligible for both the Warner and Pierce Prizes.

Criterion:

Outstanding achievement over the past five years in observational astronomical research based on measurements of radiation from an astronomical object.

Self-nominations are allowed. For questions, please contact the AAS Secretary.

Nomination Deadline: 30 June

Nomination Process

View the Nomination Instructions
Submit a Nomination

Support

Donate to the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize Fund
Consider Volunteering to Serve on the Award Committee

Prize Winners

2026 - Anna Ho

For pioneering rapid multi-wavelength investigations of extreme explosions powered by stellar death, revealing ultra-bright short-duration optical flaring associated with the new class of fast blue optical transients.

2025 - Andrew Vanderburg

For foundational advancements in the study of planetary systems around white dwarf stars, and for innovation in using deep neural networks to identify exoplanets in photometric data.

2024 - Maria Drout

For revealing discoveries of the evolution, influence, and end states of massive stars through the study of explosive transients and resolved stellar populations.

2023 - Renee Ludlam

For novel explorations of the relativistic universe that have revealed fundamental properties of neutron stars.

2022 - Erin Kara

For her innovative and sustained contributions to high-energy astrophysics.
Courtney Dressing

2021 - Courtney Dressing

For her leading contributions that have dramatically advanced our understanding of the formation rate, composition, and evolution of planets around low-mass M dwarf stars.

2020 – Emily Levesque

For her breakthrough studies of massive stars and their explosive end states.

2019 – Daniel R. Weisz

For his transformational work on the star-formation histories of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group.

2018 – Caitlin Casey

For her work on high-redshift star-forming galaxies and for pioneering new quantitative techniques for determining the importance of submillimeter galaxies in galaxy evolution.

2017 – Evan Kirby

For his work on the chemical abundances of stars in dwarf galaxies. He has done pioneering work in isolating metallicity variations in late-type stars through medium-resolution spectroscopy and in identifying different stellar populations within faint and

2016 – Karin I. Öberg

For her research on the astrochemistry and astrophysics of ices and molecules in star-forming regions and protoplanetary disks.

2015 – Heather A. Knutson

For her transformational work in the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres.

2014 – Nadia L. Zakamska

For her multi-wavelength work on Type II quasars that has characterized these sources in detail and led to the current “standard model” of quasars, as well as her work on finding direct evidence for AGN-driven outflows, regarded as an essential ingredient