Prizes & Awards

APS Polymer Physics Prize

To recognize outstanding accomplishment and excellence of contributions in polymer physics research. The prize consists of $10,000, up to $1,500 in travel reimbusement, and a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient. It is presented annually.

Deadline: June 1, 2023

Establishment & Support

     This prize was established in 1963. The Prize was supported through generous sponsorship of the Ford Motor Company and Ford Foundation through a series of termed agreements from 1963–2003. In 2004, the Prize was solely supported by DPOLY operating funds. From 2005–2009, the Polymer Physics Prize was sponsored by GE Global Research. From 2008-2010, Emeritus Professor and past Prize winner Hyuk Yu (Univ. of Wisconsin) led a major effort to endow the Prize in perpetuity. Leveraging the generous support of a number of past Polymer Physics Prize winners (15.1%) against donations from the Dow Chemical Company (52.9%), DPOLY Operating Funds (8.7%), and LG Chemical (3.8%), the Prize was endowed in 2010. The APS subsequently contributed funds to further secure the endowment in 2018 (23.8%).

Nomination Guidelines

  • Letters of Support: For each award or prize, the APS allows each individual to write only one (1) letter of support (nominating or supporting) per award per year.

View APS website for complete Eligibility and Nomination information »

2024 Recipient

Zhen-Gang Wang
California Institute of Technology

“For contributions to the theories of polymer physics in regard to nucleation, block polymer self-assembly, and polyelectrolytes, in particular, for the application of these theories to experimentally-motivated phenomena.”

Past Recipients

  • 2023: Jian Ping Gong, Hokkaido University
  • 2022: Sanat K. Kumar, Columbia University
  • 2021: Samson A. Jenekhe, University of Washington
  • 2020: Kurt Binder, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
  • 2019: Ronald G. Larson
  • 2018: Juan J. de Pablo
  • 2017: Monica Olvera de la Cruz
  • 2016: Anna C. Balazs
  • 2015: Mark D. Ediger
  • 2014: Karl Freed
  • 2013: Stephen Z.D. Cheng
  • 2012: Matthew Tirrell
  • 2011: Gary Grest, Kurt Kremer
  • 2010: Michael Rubinstein
  • 2009: Steve Granick
  • 2008: Kenneth S. Schweizer
  • 2007: Glenn Fredrickson
  • 2006: Ludwik Leibler
  • 2005: Thomas Paul Russell
  • 2004: Timothy Lodge
  • 2003: Andrew J. Lovinger
  • 2002: Tom Witten
  • 2001: Masao Doi
  • 2000: Lewis John Fetters
  • 1999: Charles C. Han
  • 1998: Murugappan Muthukumar
  • 1997: Frank Steven Bates
  • 1996: Alan Neville Gent
  • 1995: Jacob Klein
  • 1994: Hyuk Yu
  • 1993: Benjamin Chu
  • 1992: Philip A. Pincus
  • 1991: Edwin L. Thomas
  • 1990: William W. Graessley
  • 1989: Eugene Helfand
  • 1988: Richard H. Boyd
  • 1987: Hiromichi Kawai, Takeji Hashimoto
  • 1986: Andre J. Kovacs
  • 1985: Edward J. Kramer, Roger P. Kambour
  • 1984: William J. MacKnight, Frank E. Karasz
  • 1983: Motowo Takayanagi, Hiroyuki Tadokoro
  • 1982: Sir Samuel Edwards, Pierre-Gilles deGennes
  • 1981: Robert Simha
  • 1980: Marshall Fixman
  • 1979: E. W. Fischer
  • 1978: Henri Benoit
  • 1977: S. Krim
  • 1976: Richard S. Stein
  • 1975: Walter H. Stockmayer
  • 1974: Frank A. Bovey
  • 1973: H. Douglas Keith, Frank J. Padden, Jr.
  • 1972: Anton Peterlin
  • 1971: John D. Hoffman, John I. Lauritzen
  • 1970: William P. Slichter
  • 1969: Charles W. Bunn
  • 1968: Arthur V. Tobolsky
  • 1967: Julian H. Gibbs, Edmund A. DiMarzio
  • 1966: John D. Ferry
  • 1965: Peter J. W. Debye
  • 1964: Andrew Keller
  • 1963: Bruno H. Zimm
  • 1962: Paul J. Flory