The Fields Medal is awarded every four years at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) to between two and four mathematicians who are under 40 on 1 January of the congress year. It recognises existing work and 'the promise of future achievement'. It was first given in 1936 and is funded by a trust set up by the Canadian mathematician J. C. Fields.
Key facts
- Awarded every four years at the ICM; recipients must be under 40; two to four medals each time.
- First awarded 1936 to Lars Ahlfors and Jesse Douglas.
- Indian-origin winners: Manjul Bhargava (2014) and Akshay Venkatesh (2018).
- Maryam Mirzakhani (2014) was the first woman to win; Maryna Viazovska won in 2022.
Latest
The 2026 medals, announced at the ICM in Philadelphia on 23 July 2026, went to Yu Deng, John Pardon, Jacob Tsimerman and Hong Wang; Hong Wang became the third woman to win.
Why exams ask about it
Setters ask the age limit, the frequency, the Indian-origin winners and the women winners.