The Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in the Practice of Advanced Analytics and Operations Research is awarded annually by INFORMS to recognize and reward quality and coherence of analysis used in practice. The award, given in memory of the late Daniel H. Wagner, was established in recognition of his career-long efforts to encourage application of strong mathematics to practical problems supported by clear and intelligible writing. It emphasizes the quality and coherence of the analysis used in practice, good writing, strong analytical content, and verifiable practice successes.

The competition is held each year at the INFORMS Annual Meeting. The award consists of a cash prize and citation plaque. Finalists receive certificates and their papers are published in the INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics (formerly Interfaces).

The deadline for submissions is May 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and applications include the following:

• A 2–4-page abstract in English that provides evidence of mathematical development, solution, unique new algorithm, or series of coherent advances developed in conjunction with an application
• Written verification of success in practice (preferably on the letterhead of the organization that has benefited from the work)
• Written permission by the author(s) for publication of a previously unpublished, English-language paper in the INFORMS journal and assignment of copyright to INFORMS
• Written commitment, if selected as a finalist, to make a high-quality, in-person, 30-minute presentation at the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington
• Written commitment, if selected as the winner, to reprise the winning presentation at the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, and 2025 INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics and Operations Research in Indianapolis, Indiana

The Wagner Prize was established by an endowment from Metron; Daniel H. Wagner, Associates; and Applied Mathematics. Its committee includes William J. Browning of Applied Mathematics, Allen Butler of Daniel H. Wagner Associates, James J. Cochran of The University of Alabama (chair), Kimia Ghobadi of Johns Hopkins University, Greg Godfrey of Metron, Andrea Arias Llorenty of BNSF, Konstantina Mellou of Microsoft, Aysu Ozel of Northwestern University, Vera Tilson of the University of Rochester, and Willem-Jan Van Hoeve of Carnegie Mellon University.

Contact committee chair James Cochran with questions.