Twenty artists, scientists and historians were selected for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s 2026 fellowships, which give each recipient $800,000 in quarterly installments over the course of five years. The awards are commonly known as “genius grants.”
The class of 2026, announced Tuesday, ranges from ages 29 to 69 and lives predominantly in the United States, and honorees from Switzerland, Germany and Japan were also selected. These fellows “show us new ways to understand the world,” said Kristen Mack, a vice president at the MacArthur Foundation, in a statement.
Some notable picks include Trajal Harrell, a dancer and choreographer from Zürich; Marika Holland, a climate scientist from Boulder, Colorado; Immanuel Wilkins, a saxophonist from New York; and Kate Spradley, an anthropologist whose work focuses on migrants who have died on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The selection process starts with the MacArthur staff putting together a group of 2,000 to 2,500 leaders in different fields who each nominate candidates. The list of potential awardees is narrowed down before the foundation gathers professional peers for thoughts on the nominees.
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