The ALP Alain Colmerauer Prize

Organized by the Association for Logic Programming

In the summer of 1972, Alain Colmerauer and his team in Marseille developed and implemented the first version of the logic programming language Prolog. Together with both earlier and later collaborations with Robert Kowalski and his colleagues in Edinburgh, this work laid the practical and theoretical foundations for the Prolog and logic programming of today. Prolog and its related technologies soon became key tools of symbolic programming and Artificial Intelligence.

2022 was celebrated as the Year of Prolog to recognize the 50th anniversary of these events and highlight the continuing significance of Prolog and Logic Programming both for symbolic, explainable AI, and for computing more generally. The celebration culminated with the award of the inaugural edition of the ALP Alain Colmerauer Prolog Heritage Prize (in short: the Alain Colmerauer Prize) for recent practical accomplishments that highlight the benefits of Prolog-inspired computing for the future. The Alain Colmerauer Prize and the Year of Prolog were organized by the Association for Logic Programming (ALP) and the Prolog Heritage Association (PHA). Details of the 2022 Alain Colmerauer Prize can be found here.

The 2023 Award

The Alain Colmerauer Prize will continue to be awarded in 2023 and beyond. Nominations are sought for the 2023 edition of the Alain Colmerauer Prize.

Eligibility

Any individual or group of individuals can nominate themselves or their institution(s)/organization(s) for the Prize. Nominations should describe work that meets the purpose of the Prize. Submissions that address the well-being of society or of the planet are especially welcome.

Submissions

Nominations should explain the contribution and argue for its present and future significance. The submissions must not exceed three pages plus references and may optionally be accompanied by up to two letters of support no longer than 500 words each. Submissions should be made by the candidates themselves, in pdf, through EasyChair.

Selection and award

The Prize is given for depth, novelty, and proven or potential impact. The winner is selected by the Jury from the submitted nominations in consultation with the Year of Prolog Scientific Committee. Furthermore, a shortlist of up to five finalists may also be selected in the process. The Jury will provide a detailed citation that explains the basis of the awarding of the Prize.

The winner receives a certificate and cash support of up to 2,000 Euros for attending the conference and award ceremony. If there are multiple winners, this amount is shared. Finalists also receive certificates.

Timeline for 2023 award

Deadline for submissions

May 15, 2023.

Notification of the shortlisted candidates

June 4, 2023.

Award and presentation of the 2023 Prize

The winner of the 2023 Prize will be announced at the 39th International Conference on Logic Programming (ICLP 2023)

The 2023 Jury

Maria Garcia de la Banda, Gopal Gupta (chair), Manuel Hermenegildo, Y. Annie Liu, and Marie-Christine Rousset