Story perspectives

MacArthur Awards $800,000 Fellowships to 20 Individuals

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 11:27 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The MacArthur Foundation awarded $800,000 in fellowships to 20 individuals in 2026.
Each fellow receives quarterly payments for five years with no strings attached.
Seventy percent of recipients hold positions at U.S. colleges, universities or research institutes.
The cohort includes artists, scientists, historians and engineers from the United States, Switzerland, Germany and Japan.
Vincenzo Vitelli, a 48-year-old theoretical physicist at the University of Chicago, studies metamaterials and complex systems.

History

Historical Context

Founded in 1981, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation launched the MacArthur Fellows Program with unrestricted $625,000 grants to a select group of innovators. The 2026 cohort follows that template, providing $800,000 to roughly twenty scholars across the United States. Over 1,175 fellows have been named since inception, underscoring the award’s enduring role in U.S. creative and scientific advancement.

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Story summary

The MacArthur Foundation awarded $800,000 in fellowships to 20 individuals in 2026.
Each fellow receives quarterly payments for five years with no strings attached.
Seventy percent of recipients hold positions at U.S. colleges, universities or research institutes.
The cohort includes artists, scientists, historians and engineers from the United States, Switzerland, Germany and Japan.
Vincenzo Vitelli, a 48-year-old theoretical physicist at the University of Chicago, studies metamaterials and complex systems.

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