The Lagrange Prize in Continuous Optimization is awarded jointly by MPS and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). The prize was established in 2002 and was awarded for the first time at the Eighteenth Symposium in 2003. To be eligible for the prize, the work must be either a paper or book consisting chiefly of original results, which has appeared in the six calendar years preceding the year in which the award is made.

Principal Guidelines

The prize is awarded for outstanding works in the area of continuous optimization. Judging of works will be based primarily on their mathematical quality, significance, and originality. Clarity and excellence of the exposition and the value of the work in practical applications may be considered as secondary attributes.

Prize Committee

There will be an ad hoc prize committee appointed for each award jointly by the chair of MPS and the president of SIAM. The committee will consist of four members, one designated "Chair" by the chair of MPS. Committee appointments should be made at least two years before the prize award date. The MPS has the responsibility to notify its chair and the president of SIAM to make the appointments.

Committee members will be members of MPS and/or SIAM. At least two members of the committee will be MPS members and at least two will be members of SIAM. The prize committee will deliver its final report with its nominee(s) at least six months prior to the prize award date. The prize committee will complete its duties with the awarding of the prize. If the prize committee reports that no prize can be awarded, then the prize money will be used to increase the endowment and the duties of the committee will be completed.

The Selection Committee will devise its own procedures for acquiring nominations or otherwise searching out works of interest.

Eligibility

To be eligible, works should form the final publication of the main result(s) and should be published either (a) as an article in a recognized journal, or in a comparable, well-referenced volume intended to publish final publications only; or (b) as a monograph consisting chiefly of original results rather than previously published material. Extended abstracts and prepublications, and articles published in journals, journal sections or proceedings that are intended to publish non-final papers, are not eligible. The work must have been published during the six calendar years preceding the year of the award meeting. The extended period of six years is in recognition of the fact that the value of fundamental work cannot always be immediately assessed.

Nominations

The prize committee is responsible for solicitation and evaluation of nominations. A call for nominations should be placed in appropriate SIAM, MPS, and other publications. The proposed recipient(s) for the award should be presented by the prize committee to the Executive Committees of the SIAM Council and of MPS, via the president of SIAM and the chair of MPS. The proposed recipient(s) for the award must be accompanied by a written justification and a citation of about 100 words that can be read at the award date. Both SIAM and MPS must approve the proposed recipients(s) for the prize to be awarded. Objection by either one of the two societies will nullify the proposal. If the proposed recipient(s) of the prize committee is (are) rejected by MPS and/or SIAM, the prize committee may propose a second recipient or recipients.

Prize Award Date

Beginning in 2003, an award will be presented triennially alternating between the International Symposium on Mathematical Programming and a SIAM meeting (either the SIAM Annual Meeting or a meeting of the Optimization Activity Group). The prize will be considered every three years. If no prize is awarded, the award date moves ahead three years.

The Prize Fund

The MPS has the responsibility for soliciting and providing the funds necessary for the prize award.

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