20 MacArthur ‘genius’ grant winners receive $800K each in 2026

The MacArthur Foundation has named 20 fellows whose work spans climate science, history, philosophy, chemistry, poetry, dance and jazz. The prize rewards people rather than projects, and nobody can apply for it.

Nominations feed a selection process lasting years, and many recipients say they were stunned by the news. The recognition often opens further doors.

Reading the full class together shows recurring concerns: damage to the climate and the environment, the memory of violence and injustice, hidden or erased communities, and technology that could make medicine, farming and materials safer and more efficient.Researchers aim to bring communities into clean energy, forecast polar ice and predict harvestsAccording to The Associated Press, Holly Jean Buck, a sociologist at the University at Buffalo, studies the part local communities play in limiting climate change and moving towards clean energy.