The Winners of the 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair

Welcome to the 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair, our annual showcase of researchers who reshaped how we understand the world, tackled problems worth solving, and pushed their fields forward. This year’s winners are bigger and bolder than ever, spanning breakthroughs in medicine and biotechnology, new frontiers in space exploration, AI tools reshaping how we understand our planet, and discoveries illuminating ancient texts and the earliest days of the universe.

We’re proud to announce the winners of the fourth annual Gizmodo Science Fair, following previous editions in 2023, 2024, and 2025. This year, instead of revealing all the honorees at once, we’ll unveil one winner each weekday until all 10 have been announced.

University of Florida and Collaborators

For finding the building blocks of life preserved in 3.5-billion-year-old Martian clay.

Vesuvius Challenge

For virtually deciphering a charred Herculaneum scroll without ever opening it.

NASA

For the Orion spacecraft’s stellar performance during the Artemis 2 mission and setting the stage for humanity’s return to the lunar surface.

NYU Langone Transplant Institute and partners

For their ongoing work in developing animal-to-human transplantation, also known as xenotransplantation.

University of Texas at Austin and partners

For shedding new light on mysterious red dots, a newly discovered class of astronomical objects.

Google DeepMind

For creating WeatherNext Cyclones, a highly accurate AI weather model that gives forecasters an extra day of warning.

Colossal Bioscience

For developing an integrated pipeline capable of robust genomic reconstruction, gene-editing, and synthetic embryo maturation.

Revolution Medicines

For its research and development of Rasonque (daraxonrasib), the first approved cancer drug of its kind.

The DESI Collaboration

For greatly advancing our understanding of how the universe began, evolved, and will continue to grow in the future.

Earth Fire Alliance

For developing a satellite constellation dedicated to the early detection of potentially dangerous wildfires.

The Winners of the 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair

University of Florida and Collaborators

For finding the building blocks of life preserved in 3.5-billion-year-old Martian clay.

Vesuvius Challenge

For virtually deciphering a charred Herculaneum scroll without ever opening it.

NASA

For the Orion spacecraft’s stellar performance during the Artemis 2 mission and setting the stage for humanity’s return to the lunar surface.

NYU Langone Transplant Institute and partners

For their ongoing work in developing animal-to-human transplantation, also known as xenotransplantation.

University of Texas at Austin and partners

For shedding new light on mysterious red dots, a newly discovered class of astronomical objects.

Google DeepMind

For creating WeatherNext Cyclones, a highly accurate AI weather model that gives forecasters an extra day of warning.

Colossal Bioscience

For developing an integrated pipeline capable of robust genomic reconstruction, gene-editing, and synthetic embryo maturation.

Revolution Medicines

For its research and development of Rasonque (daraxonrasib), the first approved cancer drug of its kind.

The DESI Collaboration

For greatly advancing our understanding of how the universe began, evolved, and will continue to grow in the future.

Earth Fire Alliance

For developing a satellite constellation dedicated to the early detection of potentially dangerous wildfires.

Sign up for our newsletters

‘Star Wars’ and Marvel May Get a Lego Crossover, Too

Live Updates From New York Comic Con 2026 🔴

Ukraine Has Dealt a Big Blow to Russia’s AI and Cloud Infrastructure

Cartoon Network Classics Exposed in Massive Leak

XRP Bug Could Have Let Hackers Print Billions in Crypto Out of Thin Air

‘Naruto’ Is Returning With a New Manga and Anime

Let a New ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Trailer Start Your Morning

Eufy Omni E35 Review: Finally, a Luxury Robovac That Doesn’t Piss Me Off

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) Review: The King of Clip-Ons Is Re-Crowned

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) Review: Technically an Upgrade

Lenovo Legion 5i (2026) Review: A Gaming Laptop That Epitomizes the PC Pricing Paradox

TP-Link Tapo Doorbell Pro D260 Review: Everything You Need at No Extra Cost

Sonos Beam Ultra Review: The Soundbar You Really Want

Nothing Headphone 1 Pro Review: Honest-to-God S-Tier Headphones

The Best Gadgets of September 2026

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS Review: A Bad GoPro and a Worse Camera

Related Articles

Your Body Heat Could Power the Next Generation of Wearables

How a New Satellite Constellation Is Rewriting the Rules of Early Wildfire Detection

The Largest 3D Map of the Universe Is Shaking Cosmology to Its Foundations

This Pill Will Change Cancer Treatment Forever

This Gene-Tech Is More Impressive Than the Extinct Dire Wolves It Created. Here’s Why

Google DeepMind’s Hurricane Forecast Model Provides a Whole Extra Day of Warning