The winner of the Dutch Mathematics Prize 2026 is Professor Marius Crainic from Utrecht University. He is awarded the prize for his pioneering work in the field of 'Poisson manifolds'. He is the founder of this field of research. What originally consisted of a series of loose examples motivated by quantum mechanics, was transformed by Crainic into a solid, profound and decisive theory. Crainic is seen as the world leader in this thriving research area, which has led to a global forum of discussion, through a weekly international 'Poisson Seminar'. In addition to his research, Crainic has been very active in guiding young researchers, many of whom have been appointed to universities in Europe and the United States. Crainic was also director of the National Mathematics Cluster 'Geometry and Quantum Theory' and of the Mathematical Institute in Utrecht for several years.

The NWP 2026 will be presented on 12 June 2026 at the Trippenhuis of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam. Register here.

The Dutch Mathematics Prize is a biennial prize for a mathematician working in the Netherlands in the age category 45-60 years. The prize is awarded on the basis of exceptional contributions to mathematics research with high international visibility, and also to Dutch mathematics practice in a broad sense. The prize is awarded under the auspices of the Royal Dutch Mathematical Society (KWG), the Mathematics section of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and Platform Wiskunde Nederland (PWN), and consists of a certificate and an unrestricted budget of 10 k€, made available by the Foundation Thomas Stieltjes. The prize will be awarded for the first time this year.