| 2017 | Xile Hu | Chemical catalysis | |
| 2016 | Alexander Keese | African history, decolonisation, forced labour | |
| 2015 | Richard Benton | Neurobiology of olfaction | |
| 2014 | Tobias J. Kippenberg | Physics: quantum optomechanics | |
| 2013 | David Sander | Affective science | |
| 2012 | Jacques Fellay | Genomics: defence mechanisms against viruses | |
| 2011 | Karl Gademann | Chemistry and biology: isolation and synthesis of natural materials | |
| 2010 | Marianne Sommer | History of science: exploring the life sciences | |
| 2009 | Mirjam Christ Crain | Medicine: biological stress caused by infectious diseases | |
| 2008 | Franz Pfeiffer | X-ray technology | |
| 2007 | Giuliano Bonoli | Political science: role of the welfare state in Europe | |
| 2006 | Michael Hengartner | Molecular biology: study of a model organism, a worm called Caenorhabditis elegans | |
| 2005 | Patrick Jenny | Engineering sciences: computer simulations of complex fluid systems in nature and technology | |
| 2004 | Simon Gächter | Empirical economics: cooperative behaviour | |
| 2003 | Silvia Arber | Neurobiology: neuronal circuit formation in the developing spinal cord | |
| 2002 | Jérôme Faist | Solid state physics: quantum cascade laser (QCL) | |
| 2001 | Lorenza Mondada | Interactional linguistics | |
| 2000 | Laurent Keller | Evolutionary ecology: ant behaviour | |
| 1999 | Frédéric Merkt | Chemical physics of molecules: spectroscopie and dynamics of atoms and molecules in electronically charged states | |
| 1998 | Peter Schaber | Ethics, applied ethics and environmental ethics | |
| 1997 | Konrad Basler | Zoology/developmental biology (drosophila fly) | |
| 1996 | Martin Vetterli | Audiovisual technology of the future: wavelet theory in communication | |
| 1995 | Astrid Epiney | Human rights and international environmenal law | |
| 1994 | Denis Duboule | Developmental biology and genetics | |
| 1993 | Thomas Stocker | Climate and environmental physics: the role of the oceans in climate change | |
| 1992 | Maria Christina Pitassi | History of theology and philosophy in the 17th and 18th century | |
| 1991 | Susan Margaret Gasser-Wilson | Cell biology: the role of nucleus proteins in organising and passing on genetic information | |
| 1990 | Goeffrey Bodenhausen | Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) | |
| 1989 | Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont | Social psychology and educational sciences | |
| 1988 | Paul Schmid-Hempel | Behavioural ecology | |
| 1987 | John Paul Maier | Physical chemistry: spectroscopic methods for analysing the properties of ionised molecules | |
| 1986 | Ulrich Kohli | Economics: analysis of international trade | |
| 1985 | Otto Albrecht Haller | Virology: resistence to flu viruses | |
| 1984 | Jürg Fröhlich | Mathematical physics; quantum theory | |