ACS Award for Creative Invention
The ACS Award for Creative Invention recognizes a single inventor for applying chemistry or chemical engineering research in ways that benefit people, advance the field, and put scientific ideas to practical use.
Funder: American Chemical Society
Due Dates: December 5, 2026 (2028 award nomination deadline)
Funding Amounts: $5,000 and a certificate, plus reimbursement of up to $1,000 for travel to the award meeting
Summary: Recognizes a single inventor whose application of chemistry or chemical engineering research benefits people.
Key Information: The nominee must be listed as an inventor on a granted patent for the work being recognized.
Description
The American Chemical Society’s Award for Creative Invention recognizes the successful application of research in chemistry or chemical engineering that contributes to people’s material prosperity and happiness. Part of the ACS National Awards, it honors an inventor for putting research to use, rather than funding a research project. ACS Corporation Associates sponsors the award.
Established by the ACS Board of Directors in 1966, the award emphasizes both individual creativity and practical benefit. The selection committee considers how closely the work fits the award’s purpose, its impact on the scientific field, its benefit to society, its innovation, and its service to ACS goals and the scientific community.
