Fourth Annual Noetic Sciences Research Prize to Explore UAP and Consciousness

[Laird]

Fourth Annual Noetic Sciences Research Prize to Explore UAP and Consciousness
July 6, 2026
IONS Communications Team

This year’s prize will be awarded to a groundbreaking proposal that offers a bold, scientifically rigorous inquiry into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP; formerly “UFOs”) as an emerging phenomenon that encompasses both consciousness research and fundamental physical sciences. With a grant of $100,000, the 2026 award challenges researchers to move beyond traditional aerospace or national security framing and investigate how UAP relate to our understanding of reality, perception, and the foundations of scientific knowledge.

Proposals submitted for the 2026 prize should seek to:

• Propose testable hypotheses or models that integrate the physical and consciousness aspects of UAP encounters.
  
• Outline rigorous research designs to evaluate encounter narratives, case documentation, or physical data using advanced scientific methods.
  
• Address the broader scientific, philosophical, and cultural implications of UAP research on our understanding of consciousness and reality.
  

Phase 1 applications—letters of intent—are due by July 22, 2026. Finalists will be invited to submit full proposals, due by September 7, 2026, and the winner will be announced between October 23–25, 2026. The prize is open to individual researchers and multidisciplinary teams, with principal investigators required to have relevant scientific or academic qualifications.