FEMS-Lwoff Award for Achievements in Microbiology
Launched in 2000, the FEMS-Lwoff Award for Achievements in Microbiology rewards those that create high quality knowledge that helps to solve today’s societal problems around microbiology. It was named in honour of the 1st FEMS President (1974-1976), Professor André M. Lwoff.
EXTENDED DEADLINE: Nominations for the 2023 FEMS-Lwoff Award are now open until the deadline of: 10 April 2022, 23:59 PM CET.

Winners receive:
- a prize-lecture at the opening ceremony of the FEMS Congress – with up to five free registrations to the FEMS Congress
- the opportunity to present research to the wider microbiology community via the FEMS Journals and FEMS communication channels
- a commemorative silver medal
- a working replica of an Antonie van Leeuwenhoek microscope
- an honorarium of €1000
Making a nomination
Everyone in the field of microbiology (societies, groups, or individuals) may nominate a Lwoff Award candidate to be presented at the FEMS Congress.
Do you know anyone – either an individual or a group – that has provided outstanding service to microbiology in Europe? Have they done something that deserves recognition? Then why not nominate them for the FEMS-Lwoff Award?
Additional information about the selection procedure can be found in the FEMS-Lwoff Award regulations.
Nominate someone for the FEMS-Lwoff Award
We foster an atmosphere of inclusion and equal opportunities and place a high value on ensuring we reflect the diversity of the microbiological community throughout our organization and in what we do. We warmly welcome nominations that will recognize scientists from underrepresented groups.
FEMS-Lwoff awardees | |
2023 Awardee |
2021 Awardee |
The 2023 Awardee will be announced in the leadup to the 10th FEMS Congress, taking place in Hamburg, Germany. | ![]() Prize Lecture: Crispr-Cas-9: Transforming Life Sciences Through Bacteria Venue: World Microbe Forum, Online, 9th FEMS Congress – Read our Spotlight with Emmanuelle Charpentier |
2019 Awardee |
2017 Awardee |
![]() Prize Lecture: The model organism Listeria monocytogenes: towards the complete understanding of it physiology and its virulence Venue: Glasgow, Scotland, 8th FEMS Congress – Watch our interview with Pascale Cossart |
![]() Prize Lecture: Cell wall deficient (L-form) bacteria: from chronic infections to the origins of life Venue: Valencia, Spain, 7th FEMS Congress |
2015 Awardees |
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![]() Prize Lecture: Transmission: a basic process in Microbiology Venue: Maastricht, The Netherlands, 6th FEMS Congress Date: 11 June 2015 |
![]() Prize Lecture: The microbial methane cycle Venue: Maastricht, The Netherlands, 6th FEMS Congress Date: 11 June 2015 |
2013 Awardee |
2011 Awardee |
![]() Prize Lecture: Mechanism of Solvent Tolerance in Gram Negative Bacteria Venue: Leipzig, Germany, 5th FEMS Congress Date: 25 July 2013 |
Miroslav Radman, Croatia![]() Venue: Geneva, Switzerland, 4th FEMS Congress Date: 30 June 2011 |
2009 Awardee |
2006 Awardee |
![]() Prize Lecture: Classification of Bacteria: From Unicellular Plants to the Age of Genomics Venue: Gothenburg, Sweden, at the occasion of the 3rd FEMS Congress Date: 1 July 2009 |
![]() Prize Lecture: Evolution in Microbial Pathogens Venue: Madrid, Spain, at the occasion of the 2nd FEMS Congress Date: 6 July 2006 |
2003 Awardee |
2000 Awardee |
![]() Prize Lecture: Streptomyces Genes in Nature and Medicine Venue: Ljubljana, Slovenia, at the occasion of the 1st FEMS Congress Date: 2 July 2003 |
![]() Prize Lecture: Rupture, invasion and inflammatory destruction of the intestinal barrier by Shigella, making sense of prokaryote-eukaryote cross-talks. Venue: Sevilla, Spain, at the occasion of the FEMS Jubilee Date: 15 September 2000 |
EU-Funded Yeast Biotechnology Projects
We are proud to announce the publication of the Joint Thematic Issue on EU-Funded Yeast Biotechnology Projects. This is a collaboration between two of our Journals, FEMS Microbiology Letters and FEMS Yeast Research and features articles from biotechnology projects funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 (H2020) programme.