Conditions

The awards are divided into eight categories:

1. Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)
2. Biology and Biomedicine
3. Information and Communication Technologies
4. Climate Change and Environmental Sciences
5. Economics, Finance and Management
6. Humanities
7. Social Sciences
8. Music and Opera

The Climate Change and Environmental Sciences award recognizes both research endeavors in these two areas and impactful actions informed by the best science. The Music and Opera category encompasses composition, instrumental and vocal performance, musical and stage direction, and video art creation associated with musical or operatic works.

Candidates may be one or more natural persons of any nationality, without limitation of number, that have made independent or convergent contributions to a given advance, whether due to a formal collaboration (with the nominees belonging to one or more groups) or parallel working.

The awards are also open to scientific or cultural organizations that can be collectively credited with exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge, cultural creation, the fight against climate change or the conservation of the natural environment.

Awards may not be granted posthumously.

Yes, as long as the candidates have made convergent contributions to a given advance, whether due to a formal collaboration (with nominees belonging to one or more groups) or parallel working. Nominations can also consist of several scientific or cultural organizations.

No.

Awards in each category come with 400,000 euros prize money, a diploma and a commemorative artwork.

In such cases, the monetary amount will be divided equally among all recipients.

Self-nomination is not permitted.

Any scientific or cultural organization or institution can submit nominations. Among them:

• Scientific or artistic societies and organizations
• National and regional academies of science or culture
• Public or private R&D centers
• University schools, departments or institutes and research or teaching institutes
• Hospital departments and biomedical research centers
• Schools of music
• Orchestras, orchestra associations, opera theaters and opera associations
• Public agencies and supranational, national or regional organizations substantially engaged in analysis and/or activities relating to climate change and environmental conservation
• Other scientific, cultural and environmental organizations

Winners of the Nobel Prize in any of its categories are likewise eligible to nominate, as are past winners of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards.

The BBVA Foundation may also invite nominations from researchers and cultural creators that have made outstanding contributions in their respective fields, establishing consultative or advisory panels to this end.

Yes. In addition to the cases listed in the above question, any researcher or cultural creator can submit a nomination for a colleague or an organization that has made some outstanding contribution in their field.

No, no person or organization can nominate themselves. The awards are confined to indirect nominations.

No.

Yes, any organization, institution or individual nominator can put forward more than one candidate in the same or different categories. What they cannot do is nominate the same candidate in more than one award category.

Yes, the submission form allows up to 30 nominators. The nomination coordinator should provide a signed letter of nomination. Remaining nominators are also advised to provide a signed letter.

Yes, nominators are free to put forward candidates belonging to their own organization and/or any other.

No. Nominators may in no event put forward the institution or organization to which they belong.

Yes, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards are fully international in scope.

From January 1, 2024 until 16:00 GMT on June 30, 2024.

All entries must be submitted through the nomination form available on the BBVA Foundation website.

You are advised to read the instructions for completing the form.

1. Award category for which the candidate is
2. Name of the nominating institution and officer/body, with the corresponding contact data (postal and email address and phone number). Each entry may have up to a maximum of 30 nominators.
3. Letter(s) of nomination signed by the nomination Remaining nominators are also advised to provide a signed letter.
4. Candidate particulars including institutional affiliation and contact data. In the case of convergent candidatures, you should provide the particulars of each member.
5. Description of the salient contributions of the candidate and reasoned arguments for the nomination (maximum of 3 pages, single spaced). In the case of convergent candidatures, you should provide a single descriptive narrative including an account of the role performed by each member. Note that this description document need only be provided if the letter of nomination does not give an account of the candidate’s salient contributions or if it is necessary to expand on the information contained therein.
6. Candidate’s curriculum vitae. This document will not be necessary if the nominee is an organization or institution. In the case of convergent candidatures, you should provide a CV for each member.

This should take the form of a continuous narrative describing the nature and importance of the contribution for which the person or institution is being nominated, and the reasons why the nominator believes they merit the award. Note that this description document need only be provided if the letter of nomination does not give an account of the candidate’s salient contributions or if it is necessary to expand on the information contained therein.

When more than one candidate is being nominated, this description should include each one’s specific input to the above global contribution, and whether it was arrived at through collaborative working (as a team) or independently (working in parallel).

Yes, the online form allows for up to 30 nominators.

In the event that various organizations or individuals wish to jointly or coordinately submit a nomination, they should appoint a nomination coordinator who will merge all the materials into a single entry.

Exclusively in English.

Before finishing your nomination, you can check that the data entered in the various sections are correct by directly accessing the steps of the form through the corresponding tabs.

You can then submit your nomination by pressing the “Confirm nomination” button on the bottom right of the form.

The next screen that comes up will show the date and time of your submission (Spanish standard time) and a reference number that you should quote in all subsequent correspondence with the BBVA Foundation. You can also download a nomination summary in .pdf format. This same information will sent to all nominators and to the registration email address appearing in the form.

Once the nomination period has closed, you can check the status of your entry through our website using the nomination reference number and the registration email.

The BBVA Foundation will send you an email granting a non-extendible term of thirty calendar days from that date in which to rectify the flaws detected, so the entry may be accepted for consideration.

Entries will be evaluated in two stages. Firstly, by evaluation support panels formed by leading experts in the area concerned, drawn from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), universities, hospitals and other research, cultural or artistic centers, who will provide the BBVA Foundation with a reasoned rank order of finalists.

In the second stage, the BBVA Foundation will forward this shortlist to the corresponding award committee, accompanied by a full list of entries and the scores assigned to each by reference to the best metrics of the subject area.

These committees will be made up of experts of international prestige in the corresponding area, and the final award decision will be theirs alone.

The committee may choose to merge two or more separate entries when it considers that they have made a convergent contribution to a given advance. It may also elect to confine the award to just one or several members of a given candidature.

If a nomination is considered to be incomplete, in the sense of including only some of the persons or organizations generally acknowledged to be among the principal authors of the stated contribution, the committee will refrain from granting it the award. Nor will the committee be able to add the names of individuals or organizations in order to round off such nominations.

The committees’ decisions will in no event be open to appeal, including the decision to leave the award vacant.

Before April 30, 2025.

The BBVA Foundation will notify the laureate(s) by phone as soon as the committee communicates its decision, probably not before 17:00 GMT. It is therefore advisable for nominators to include a direct or cell phone number among the contact details provided for the candidate(s).

If the candidate accepts the award, they will be reminded that they must agree to attend the presentation ceremony and other events organized for the occasion.

The BBVA Foundation will also contact the nominator to notify them of the committee’s decision.

The awards will be presented at a formal ceremony to be held during June 2025 in the Euskalduna Bilbao center, preceded the evening before by a gala concert.

The organization or institution must provide the following additional documents:

• Copy of its bylaws
• Copy of its tax identification number
• A statement from its governing bodies confirming their acceptance of the award

If your question has not been answered here, please contact the BBVA Foundation at the email address awards-info@fbbva.es. We will be happy to assist you.