The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has named 20 people to its 2026 class of MacArthur Fellows, recognizing work in science, the arts, humanities and public life.

Each fellow will receive an $800,000 award over five years. The foundation describes the fellowship as a no-strings-attached investment in recipients’ creativity and future work.

The awards are often called “genius grants,” but the foundation says fellows are selected for their creativity and potential to contribute further in their fields. The fellowship is not limited to one profession or type of work.

The selection process takes place over several years and relies on confidential nominations and review. People cannot apply for the fellowship themselves, and recipients are free to decide how to use the award.

This year’s class includes researchers studying climate, agriculture, economics and memory, alongside artists, writers, historians, musicians, choreographers and scientists developing new technologies.

Several fellows’ work connects research with practical or community questions. Their subjects include climate adaptation, crop forecasting, racial wealth gaps, Indigenous political history and identifying migrants who died while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The arts are also represented across forms, including poetry, fiction, dance, visual art, public art and jazz. The foundation’s fellows pages describe each recipient’s work and provide more information about the fellowship.

The 2026 class ranges from early-career creators to established scholars and artists. The foundation says the unrestricted award is intended to give recipients flexibility to continue current work or pursue new directions.

The 20 MacArthur Fellows in the 2026 class are:

Holly Jean Buck, sociologist studying climate and energy policy.
Felipe De Brigard, philosopher and cognitive scientist researching memory.
Ellora Derenoncourt, labor economist examining the history of racial wealth and income disparities.
Elizabeth Ellis, historian studying Indigenous politics and diplomacy in early North America.
Kaiyu Guan, environmental scientist using data and machine learning to improve agricultural forecasting.
Trajal Harrell, choreographer and dancer combining performance traditions.
Marika Holland, climate scientist studying polar change and sea ice.
Christine Sun Kim, artist exploring sound, communication and Deaf experience.
Song Lin, organic chemist developing more sustainable chemical reactions.
Layli Long Soldier, poet working with language, history and Indigenous experience.
Rodney McMillian, multidisciplinary artist whose work examines history and social conditions.
Maaza Mengiste, fiction writer portraying the human consequences of political conflict.
Ariel Ron, historian studying agriculture, economic growth and federal power.
Kate Spradley, forensic anthropologist working to identify migrant remains and support repatriation.
Chip Thomas, public artist creating community-rooted work, particularly in the Navajo Nation.
Vincent Valdez, visual artist depicting historical and contemporary Latino experiences.
Vincenzo Vitelli, physicist developing theories about materials with unusual properties.
Bryan Washington, fiction writer whose work explores modern relationships.
Immanuel Wilkins, jazz saxophonist and composer.
Liangfang Zhang, chemical engineer and bioengineer developing nanotechnologies for disease treatment and prevention.

Sources: The MacArthur Foundation’s Fellows Program and Associated Press reporting on the 2026 class.