Dénes König Prize

Established in 2007, the prize honors Dénes König, a pioneer of discrete mathematics still influencing the field. It is awarded for outstanding research by an individual in their early career, based on publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Prize Description

The SIAM Activity Group on Discrete Mathematics awards the Dénes König Prize every two years to an individual or individuals in their early career for outstanding research contributions in an area of discrete mathematics, as evidenced by a publication in a peer-reviewed journal within the three calendar years prior to the award year.

Discrete mathematics includes combinatorics, graph theory, cryptography, discrete optimization, mathematical programming, coding theory, information theory, game theory, and theoretical computer science.

Read the full prize specifications.

Eligibility Criteria

One key paper must be cited as evidence of the contributions, though a body of papers may be discussed in the nomination. The qualifying key paper must have been published in English in a peer-reviewed journal bearing a publication date within the three calendar years prior to the award year. Each candidate must be a Ph.D. student or, at the time of the award, be within four calendar years after completing their Ph.D. The committee may consider exceptions to the four-years-from-Ph.D. rule, for career interruptions or delays occurring, e.g., for child bearing, child rearing, or elder care.

For the 2026 award, the paper must have been published between the dates of January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2025. Each candidate must have received their Ph.D. no earlier than 2022.

Required Materials

  • Nominator’s letter of recommendation for candidate(s)
  • CV(s) of candidate(s)
  • Bibliographic citation for key contributing paper
  • Two or three letters of support from experts in the field

About the Award

The Dénes König Prize includes a $1,000 monetary prize and a certificate containing the citation. If the selected paper has multiple eligible authors, each such author will receive a certificate. SIAM will reimburse the recipient for reasonable travel expenses incurred in attending the award ceremony.

Learn more about the past recipients and selection committees.

Award Date

The prize will next be awarded at the 2026 SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics.

Award Presentation

The Chair of the SIAM Activity Group on Discrete Mathematics will announce the award. An announcement of the award recipient(s) will also appear in SIAM News and the activity group's newsletter.

Award Fund

Google has kindly donated the funds for the first five awards of the prize.