Isaac Asimov Awards — Four distinct awards have been named for writer, chemist, and humanist Isaac Asimov (1920–1992), the prolific science fiction author, biochemist, and popularizer of science. These awards recognize contributions in speculative fiction writing, popular science communication, skeptical inquiry, and humanism.
1. Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Writing (now the Dell Magazines Award)
An annual award open to undergraduate college students, given to the author of the best science fiction or fantasy short story. Established by Asimov's Science Fiction magazine and the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA). The award is typically given for character-driven stories of the type published in that magazine. It is accompanied by a $500 cash prize, a plaque, publication in Asimov's Science Fiction, and an invitation to the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA). The award was later renamed the Dell Magazines Award.
2. The ASIMOV Prize (Premio ASIMOV)
An Italian award for popular science books written or translated into the Italian language. Its organizing committee is composed of several hundred teachers and researchers from all over Italy. Originally established at the Gran Sasso Science Institute on the initiative of Francesco Vissani of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, it grew into a national prize thanks to INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) and many other scientific institutions. The winner is selected by a large jury of high school students — approximately 12,300 in the most recent edition. Notable recipients include:
- 2016: Peter Atkins (chemist)
- 2017: Roberto Burioni (medical doctor)
- 2018: Helen Czerski and Marco Malvaldi (ex aequo)
- 2019: Lamberto Maffei (neurophysiologist)
- 2020: Hannah Fry (mathematician)
3. CSICOP Isaac Asimov Award
Created in 1994 by the skeptical organization CSICOP (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, formerly the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) to honor Asimov for his extraordinary contributions to science and humanity. The first recipient was Asimov's friend Carl Sagan. Other winners include Stephen Jay Gould.
4. American Humanist Association Isaac Asimov Award
First awarded in 1998 by the American Humanist Association to Eugenie Scott. Asimov served as the president of the American Humanist Association. Awardees have since included Robert Sapolsky, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Steve Wozniak, Richard Leakey, Lynn J. Rothschild, and Stephon Alexander.
Additional Honors
Beyond these awards, several entities have been named in Asimov's honor, including the asteroid (5020) Asimov, a crater on Mars, a Brooklyn elementary school, and Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO.
