Vetlesen Prize
Vetlesen Prize, a prize awarded every three years for "outstanding achievement in the sciences resulting in a clearer understanding of the earth, its history, or its relations to the universe." The Vetlesen Prize is intended to be the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for the field of geophysics. Each winner is awarded a gold medal and receives or shares the sum of $50,000. The prize is funded by the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation.
The prize was established in 1959 by the estate of G. Unger Vetlesen (1889-1955), a Norwegian-American shipping executive. It is awarded by Columbia University and may be given to geophysicists of any nationality.