Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize
The Tinsley Prize recognizes an outstanding research contribution to astronomy or astrophysics, of an exceptionally creative or innovative character. The prize is normally awarded every two years. No restrictions are placed on a candidate's citizenship or country of residency. Nominations are open and are due on 30 June.
View Nomination Checklist View Ethics Self-Disclosure Form

2021 – Bill Paxton
For his inspired work on providing, maintaining, and supporting the use of open-source stellar-evolution codes that have seeped into the foundation of research and education efforts.

2020 – Krzysztof Stanek (shared w/Christopher Kochanek)
For their innovative contributions to time-domain astronomy and, in particular, their leadership in the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN).

2020 – Christopher Kochanek (shared w/Krzysztof Stanek)
For their innovative contributions to time-domain astronomy and, in particular, their leadership in the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN).

2018 – Julianne Dalcanton
For her pioneering use of large surveys to study low-surface-brightness galaxies and her leadership in developing Hubble Space Telescope surveys to create a legacy of data on resolved stellar populations of nearby galaxies.

2016 – Andrew Gould
For his development of gravitational microlensing as an important tool for the discovery and characterization of exoplanets.

2014 – Chris Lintott
For his insight and creativity that created a transformative approach to science by engaging nonscientists in cutting edge research.

2012 – Ronald L. Gilliland
For his innovative work on ultra-high signal-to-noise observations related to time-domain photometry and the opening of this new frontier.

2010 – Drake Deming
For his innovative and pioneering work detecting thermal infrared emission from transiting extrasolar planets using the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Year | Recipient(s) | Citation |
---|---|---|
2008 | Mark Reid | For his precision astrometry experiments with the VLBI and the VLBA and his pioneering use of cosmic masers as astronomical tools. His innovative research in radio astronomy has enhanced our understanding of the processes in star forming regions and has resulted in primary distance measurements throughout the Local Group of galaxies. |
2006 | John E. Carlstrom | For his innovative work on the use of interferometry to study the early Universe through CMB fluctuations and polarimetry and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. He has produced results that strongly constrain cosmological models of the amount and nature of dark matter and energy and the influence of cosmic inflation. |
2004 | Ronald J. Reynolds | For his discovery of the warm ionized medium in our Galaxy using Fabry-Perot spectroscopy, his leadership in understanding its origins and for his development of the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper that has revealed its spatial structure. |
2002 | Geoffrey W. Marcy, R. Paul Butler, Steven S. Vogt | For their pioneering work in characterizing planetary systems orbiting distant stars. |
2000 | Charles Alcock | For his intellectual leadership of the MACHO project, both scientifically and technically. |
1998 | Robert E. Williams | |
1996 | Aleksander Wolszczan | |
1994 | Raymond Davis | |
1992 | Robert H. Dicke | |
1990 | Antoine Labeyrie | |
1988 | Harold I. Ewen, Edward M. Purcell | |
1986 | S. Jocelyn Bell Burnell |