Golden Goose Award - Call for Nominations

About this program

The Golden Goose Award, administered by the Golden Goose Steering Committee, recognizes federally funded research that initially appeared odd or obscure but produced substantial societal, economic, or scientific benefits; nominations should explain the research story and list the federal agencies and grants that supported it. Nominators must supply their and the nominee(s)’ names, positions, affiliations, and contact details, a title for the nomination, funding source(s), and concise responses to four required criteria: research description and funding, why it seemed “funny” or of questionable value, how results were unexpected or serendipitous, and the research’s impacts; additional references and links are encouraged. Eligible nominations are for individuals or research teams whose work received federal support (e.g., NIH, NSF, NASA, DoD, USDA, DOE); all submitted materials become the property of the Steering Committee, and submissions show an on-screen confirmation (no email), with questions directed to info@goldengooseaward.org.