Abel Prize

The Abel Prize is an international prize presented by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. Named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829), the award was proposed by Sophus Lie (1842–1899). Lie's death marked an interruption in the establishment of the award, and King Oscar II's attempt to establish the award in 1902 was unsuccessful, complicated by the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway three years later. The Abel Prize and the Fields Medal have often been described as the "mathematician's Nobel prizes" and are among the most prestigious awards in mathematics. It comes with a monetary award of Norwegian krone (NOK) 6 million, which is approximately US$1 million. The Abel Prize complements the Holberg Prize in the arts, humanities, social sciences, law and theology.

The prize board has also established an Abel symposium, administered by the Norwegian Mathematical Society. The award ceremony takes place in the Atrium of the University of Oslo Faculty of Law, where the Nobel Peace Prize was formerly awarded between 1947 and 1989.