MacArthur Fellowship
The MacArthur Fellows Program, or MacArthur Fellowship ( nicknamed the Genius Prize ), is an award the MacArthur Foundation bestows annually to 20 to 40 Americans who - regardless of age or occupation - “show exceptional merit and persistent and intensified creative Promise work ”.
The foundation emphasizes that "the scholarship is not a reward for past accomplishments, but rather an investment in someone's originality, insight and potential". The prize money is $ 625,000 each (as of 2013) and is paid quarterly over a period of five years.
You cannot apply for the scholarship. The nomination is anonymous. The award winners must be U.S. citizens or have resident status.