MacArthur Foundation Names 20 Fellows
The foundation has named 20 fellows, each receiving $800,000, for work spanning climate science, history, philosophy, chemistry, poetry, dance and jazz.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Science — General
The MacArthur Foundation has named 20 fellows, each receiving $800,000. The prize rewards people rather than projects, and nobody can apply for it.
Why it matters
The fellowship recognizes creative and intellectual work across many fields, from climate science to the arts. Because nominations feed a selection process lasting years, the honorees reflect a long review rather than a single open call.
The foundation named 20 fellows, each receiving $800,000, with no open application process. Nominations feed a selection process lasting years, and the extraction does not specify how many nominations were reviewed.
The players
MacArthur Foundation
The MacArthur Foundation is a Chicago-based philanthropic organization that awards the MacArthur Fellowship, often called the genius grant, to creative and intellectual figures.
Holly Jean Buck
Holly Jean Buck is a sociologist at the University at Buffalo who studies how local communities help limit climate change and move toward clean energy.
Kate Spradley
Kate Spradley is a forensic anthropologist at Texas State University who works to identify migrants who died along the Texas-Mexico border.
The details
Fellows' work spans climate science, history, philosophy, chemistry, poetry, dance and jazz. Honorees include sociologist Holly Jean Buck, who studies local communities' role in limiting climate change, and forensic anthropologist Kate Spradley, who works to identify migrants who died along the Texas-Mexico border.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: The MacArthur Foundation's 20 fellows were announced.
Big Picture
The class follows the MacArthur Fellowship's established model of rewarding people rather than projects through nominations rather than applications. Its spread across climate science, forensic anthropology, fiction and jazz continues that model's broad, unsolicited scope.
The award gives fellows $800,000 with no strings attached, allowing them to pursue their work over time. Readers interested in these fields can follow the fellows' future research and publications.
The takeaway
Recognition that rewards people rather than projects can support work that does not fit a conventional grant application. The range of this year's fellows shows how much intellectual and creative work the prize now spans.
Further reading
Explore more in Science — General for related coverage of research and discovery.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Times of India.
