Science prizes usually put the spotlight on winners, celebrating their discoveries but paying comparatively little attention to the researchers who were left out. A study by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has found that prominent innovation awards may discourage colleagues from pursuing unconventional research.

According to the study, the most prestigious prizes have the strongest negative effect on such research. The findings raise questions about the wider consequences of scientific honours, including the Nobel Prize, whose influence on how researchers choose their work the authors suggest deserves closer scrutiny.S1S2