The Indiana University School of Medicine is accepting nominations until May 15, 2025, for the 2026 August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research.
The Watanabe Prize is one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious research awards recognizing senior investigators focused on shepherding scientific discoveries into new therapies for patients. Nominees should be members of the scientific or medical communities who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in translational research.
The winner of the 2026 Watanabe Prize in Translational Research will receive a $100,000 award and spend time in Indianapolis from September 16-18, 2026, to share knowledge and insights with audiences at IU School of Medicine and its partner institutions. The winner will also be the keynote speaker for the 2026 Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute Annual Meeting.
Nomination process:
Submit the following complete nomination materials to amwprize@iu.edu with the nominee’s name in the subject line:
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A copy of the nominee’s current curriculum vitae (CV).
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A letter of nomination, including a detailed description of the nominee’s major translational research accomplishments and the impact of these contributions to the fields of science and/or medicine. Letters should be submitted on official letterhead and signed by the nominator.
Note: The 2026 nominee must be available to travel to Indianapolis from Sept. 16-18, 2026.
The deadline for all nomination materials is May 15, 2025. Please email any questions about the nomination process to amwprize@iu.edu or call 317-278-2874.
The Watanabe Prize is named in honor of the late August M. Watanabe, a titan in the field of translational research in both academia and industry, who impacted the health of people around the world as a leader at IU School of Medicine and Eli Lilly and Company.
Watanabe began his career at Indiana University in 1972 and served as chair of the Department of Medicine from 1983 to 1990. From there, he joined Eli Lilly and Company, where he was ultimately named executive vice president, overseeing the launch of 11 drugs and doubling the size of the company’s research and development organization.
Previous Watanabe Prize recipients include Kevan Herold (2025); Craig B. Thompson (2024); Huda Zoghbi, MD (2023); Adrian R. Krainer, PhD (2022); Nancy J. Brown, MD (2021); Brian Druker, MD (2020); David Holtzman, MD (2019); Jean Bennett, MD, PhD (2018); Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD (2016); Carl H. June, MD (2015); and Tadataka Yamada, MD (2013).
