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Call for Nominations

Request for nominations for the John Stewart Bell Prize 2026 for research on fundamental issue in quantum mechanics and their applications.

THE 2026 JOHN STEWART BELL PRIZE FOR RESEARCH ON FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN QUANTUM MECHANICS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS is now open for nomination.

2026 Award Nomination Announcement

Dear friends and colleagues:

We are pleased to announce the 2026 John Stewart Bell Prize, and ask for your assistance in identifying deserving candidates for the award.

The John Stewart Bell Prize for Research on Fundamental Issues in Quantum Mechanics and their Applications (short form: "Bell Prize") is awarded every other year, in particular again in 2026, for significant contributions first published in the 6 years preceding the award year. The award is meant to recognize major advances relating to the foundations of quantum mechanics and to the applications of these principles – this covers, but is not limited to, quantum information theory, quantum computation, quantum foundations, quantum cryptography, and quantum control. The award is not intended as a "lifetime achievement" award, but rather to highlight the continuing rapid pace of research in these areas. It is intended to cover even-handedly theoretical and experimental research, both fundamental and applied.  Further information about the Bell Prize may be found at http://cqiqc.physics.utoronto.ca/bell-prize/

The award is funded and managed by the University of Toronto, Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control (CQIQC), but the award selection will be handled by an arms-length selection committee. The award will be presented as part of the biennial CQIQC conference, during which the awardee will be invited to deliver a prize lecture in August 2026.  The conference web page is under development, but the previous conference programme can be viewed at http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/activities/24-25/CQIQC.

To nominate a candidate for this award, please email your nomination to quantum@utoronto.ca

The nomination should include:

  • the name and affiliation of the nominee
  • a 1-2 paragraph statement of the importance of the contribution on the basis of which you are making the nomination
  • the principal literature citations to this work (which must have been published or in press between August 2019 and August 2025).

Self-nomination is prohibited.

All nominations received prior to August 30, 2025 will be considered (although the committee will not be bound to restrict itself to these nominations).