Nomination deadline March 31, 2022

Statistics is a cornerstone of science, health, industry, economics, government and more, and benefits society as a whole. Nevertheless, research in statistics does not yet receive the same level of recognition as in related fields such as mathematics, physics, and computer science. The Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics is intended to help remedy this gap. It awards pioneering work in statistical methodology. The prize recognizes a statistical innovation, that is, an outstanding contribution or tool that has had significant impact and found wide application in statistical practice, with relevance to society. The Rousseeuw Prize, named after its sponsor, statistician Peter J. Rousseeuw, focuses on the innovation rather than on a single individual, thus allowing the recognition of several individuals who made important contributions to it, and promoting awareness of the important role and intellectual content of statistics and its profound impact on human endeavors.

The prize will be awarded in even years, starting in 2022. The award amount is one million US dollars per prize, to be split between awardees if there are several, which it is hoped will typically be the case. The first award ceremony will take place in November 2022 at the University of Leuven, Belgium.

For the purpose of the prize, statistics is defined as “the science and technology of obtaining useful information from data, taking its variability into account.” 

There is no time window for the work, or age limit on awardees. The awardees must be living persons, not organizations. If one of the main contributors is no longer alive, the surviving author(s) of the joint work can still be awarded. The deceased contributor(s) will of course be named explicitly. 

Nominations will propose a particular innovation as well as a list of important contributors. When making this list it is encouraged to consider gender diversity when applicable. Self-nomination is not permitted. The nominations, including letters of recommendation, are to be submitted on this website, see section nominations.

Ready to nominate? Find the form, and more about the award, at https://www.rousseeuwprize.org/nominations.