David P. Robbins Prize

Photo courtesy of Ken Robbins

The Robbins Prize is for a paper with the following characteristics:  it shall report on novel research in algebra, combinatorics or discrete mathematics and shall have a significant experimental component; and it shall be on a topic which is broadly accessible and shall provide a simple statement of the problem and clear exposition of the work. Papers published within the six calendar years preceding the year in which the prize is awarded are eligible for consideration.

About this Prize

This prize was established in 2005 in memory of David P. Robbins by members of his family.  Robbins, who died in 2003, received his Ph.D. in 1970 from MIT. He was a long-time member of the Institute for Defense Analysis Center for Communications Research and a prolific mathematician whose work (much of it classified) was in discrete mathematics.

The current prize amount is US$5,000 and the prize is awarded every 3 years.

Most Recent Prize(s): 2025

Sophie Morier-Genoud of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne and Valentin Ovsienko of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Reims, are awarded the 2025 AMS David P. Robbins Prize for their paper "$q$-deformed rationals and $q$-continued fractions," published in Forum of Mathematics, Sigma.

Prize announcement as seen in the news release.

See previous winners

Next Prize:  January 2028

Nomination Period:  1 February - 31 May, 2027

Nomination Procedure: 

Submit a letter of nomination, a complete bibliographic citation for the work being nominated, and a brief citation that explains why the work is important.

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