EPS-QEOD Prize for Research into the Science of Light

Nominations are to be received on line by October 27, 2025 at the latest. All material must be prepared in English and combined into either a single consolidated PDF file or a ZIP archive.
The 6th Prize for Research into the Science of Light will be awarded on behalf of the European Physical Society through its Quantum Electronics & Optics Division (QEOD) during Nanometa 2026.

The European Physical Society (EPS) Prize for Research into the Science of Light is a prestigious award presented every two years by the EPS through its Quantum Electronics & Optics Division (QEOD). It honors up to three individuals for outstanding recent contributions to electromagnetic science in its broadest sense, spanning the full spectrum of electromagnetic waves.

Eligible work must have been carried out primarily within the five years preceding the award. The prize particularly recognizes research conducted in Europe or in close collaboration with European scientists and may be awarded for either fundamental or applied research.

The award includes an engraved glass medal, a certificate, and a monetary prize of €2,000. The Prize Ceremony and Lecture will be featured highlights of the EPS Nanometa Conference in Seefeld, Austria, from 6-9 January 2026.

Nomination Requirements

A complete nomination must include:

A cover letter from the nominator with the proposed citation (if applicable).
A two-page summary describing the significance of the nominated work. For team nominations, the individual contributions of each nominee must be clearly specified, along with when and where the work was carried out.
The nominee’s CV(s).
A publication list covering the past five years (earlier key papers may also be included). Five of the most significant publications should be highlighted.
Up to three letters of endorsement.

Submission Guidelines

All materials must be submitted in English.
Files should be consolidated into a single PDF or ZIP archive.
Self-nominations are accepted.

To nominate yourself or a colleague, please fill out the form.

EPS-QEOD Prize for Research into the Science of Light 2024

The 5th Prize for Research into the Science of Light will be awarded on behalf of the European Physical Society through its Quantum Electronics & Optics Division (QEOD) during Nanometa 2024.

The 2024 Prize for Research into the Science of Light is awarded to Professor John Dudley, University of Franche-Comté and CNRS Institute FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France, and Professor Goëry Genty, Tampere University, Finland, for “pioneering contributions to ultrafast nonlinear fibre optics which have opened new frontiers into the study of supercontinuum light, nonlinear optical instabilities and rogue waves“.


John Dudley is Professor of Physics at the University of Franche-Comté and the CNRS Institute FEMTO-ST in Besançon, France. His research interests cover broad areas of ultrafast and nonlinear optics, including source development and characterisation, the understanding of complex instabilities in fibre propagation, supercontinuum physics and applications, and analogies with other physical systems. He has received a number of distinctions, including the CNRS Silver Medal, the IOP President’s Medal, the APS Nicholson SPIE Harold E. Edgerton Award, and the Optica R. W. Wood Prize. He is also committed to education and outreach, and currently chairs the UNESCO International Day of Light. He is Fellow of SPIE, Optica, IEEE, EOS, and the Royal Society of New Zealand (Hon.)		Goëry Genty is a Professor at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. His research interest ranges from ultrafast nonlinear optics to the development of real-time measurement techniques, advanced laser sources, novel sensing and imaging concepts as well as the application of machine learning to nonlinear optics. He has received several awards including the IUPAP Young Scientist International Prize in Optics and the Physics Prize of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. He is a Fellow of Optica and EOS. He is also the director of the Flagship for Photonics Research and Innovation and of the Finnish national research infrastructure for light-based technologies, two of the most prestigious large-scale research programs of excellence funded by the Research Council of Finland.