James H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software

Prize Description

The James H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software is awarded every four years to the authors of an outstanding piece of numerical software, or to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to an existing piece of numerical software. The prize is awarded for an entry that best addresses all phases of the preparation of high-quality numerical software. It is intended to recognize innovative software in scientific computing and to encourage researchers in the earlier stages of their career. It has been awarded at the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) meetings since 1991. Starting in 2019, SIAM will award the prize every four years at the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering.

Read the full prize specifications.

Eligibility Criteria

Selection will be based on: clarity of the software implementation and documentation; importance of the application(s) addressed by the software; portability, reliability, efficiency, and usability of the software implementation; clarity and depth of analysis of the algorithms and the software in the accompanying paper; and quality of the test software.

Candidates must have worked in mathematics or science for at most 12 years (full time equivalent) after receiving their PhD as of January 1 of the award year, allowing for breaks in continuity. The prize committee can make exceptions, if in their opinion the candidate is at an equivalent stage in their career.

For the 2027 award, a candidate must have received their PhD no earlier than January 1, 2015.

Required Materials

• CVs of the authors of the software, at most two pages per author (PDF)
• A two-page summary of the main features of the algorithm and software implementation (PDF)
• A paper describing the algorithm and the software implementation (PDF)
• Software written in a widely available high-level programming language. The software should be submitted in a gzipped .tar archive with a README file describing the contents of the archive. Each submission should include documentation, examples of the use of the software, a test program, and scripts for executing the test programs.

About the Award

The James H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software includes a $3,000 monetary award and a certificate. At least one of the awardees is expected to attend the award ceremony and to deliver a lecture at the conference. SIAM will reimburse the speaker for reasonable travel expenses incurred in giving the talk.

Dr. James H. Wilkinson spent most of his working life at the National Physical Laboratory and regularly visited Argonne National Laboratory and the Numerical Algorithms Group. In honor of his outstanding contributions to the field of numerical software, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL; Argonne, IL), the National Physical Laboratory (NPL; Teddington, Middlesex, England), and the Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd (NAG; Oxford, England) established the Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software and sponsored the award every four years at the International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) beginning with the 1991 award. By agreement among ANL, NPL, NAG, and SIAM, the prize will be administered by SIAM starting with the 2019 award.

Learn more about the past recipients and selection committees.

Award Date

The prize will next be awarded in 2027 at the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering.

Award Presentation

The prize will be presented by the Chair of the SIAM Activity Group on Computational Science and Engineering (SIAG/CSE). The announcement of the award will appear in SIAM News, the SIAM website, and appropriate electronic media.

Additional Information

The prize fund was established by generous donations in 2015 by Argonne National Laboratory, the National Physical Laboratory, and the Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd.