The Abel Prize Awarded to German Mathematician

Gerd Faltings of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn was awarded the 2026 Abel Prize for his groundbreaking work in the field of arithmetic geometry. The prize was presented by Crown Prince Haakon during a formal ceremony at the University Aula in Oslo today.

Prior to the award ceremony, the Crown Prince received the laureate in audience at the Royal Palace.

The Jury’s Citation

The Abel Committee awarded the 2026 Abel Prize to Gerd Faltings “for introducing powerful tools in arithmetic geometry and resolving longstanding diophantine conjectures of Mordell and Lang”. His work has had a profound impact on modern mathematics and has influenced research in number theory and algebraic geometry for several decades.

Faltings first gained international recognition in 1983 when he proved the so-called Mordell conjecture, a mathematical problem that had remained unsolved for more than 60 years. The result later became known as Faltings’ theorem and is regarded as one of the most important breakthroughs in modern number theory.

“The Nobel Prize of Mathematics”

The Abel Prize is an international mathematics prize established in honour of the Norwegian mathematical genius Niels Henrik Abel. Abel left a lasting mark on the world of mathematics. His mathematics has formed the foundation for a number of technological breakthroughs, including the development of the internet.

The Abel Prize is funded by the Norwegian Government and awarded by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.