The Start-Preis is the highest Austrian award for scientists under the age of 35.
It is awarded once per year by the Austrian Science Fund on behalf of the Austrian Ministry for Science. It is endowed with up to 1.2 million Euro for a proposed research project for six years.
The recipients are selected by an international jury of experts. The same jury also selects the recipients of the related Wittgenstein-Preis.
1996: Christian Koeberl, Ferenc Krausz, Ulrich Schmid, Peter Szmolyan, Karl Unterrainer, Harald Weinfurter, Gerhard J. Woeginger, Jakob Woisetschläger
1997: Gerhard Holzapfel, Bernhard Palme, Michael Schmid
1998: Peter Grabner, Gottfried Kirchengast, Rudolf Valenta, Gerhard Widmer
1999: Christoph Marschner, Norbert Mauser, Otmar Scherzer, Thomas Schrefl, Christoph Spötl, Joseph Strauss
2000: Thomas Brabec, Susanne Kalss, Dietrich Leibfried, Herbert Strobl, Bernhard Tilg
2001: Markus Arndt, Michael Buchmeiser, Wolfgang Drexler, Wilfried Ellmeier, Clemens Sedmak
2002: Wolfgang Heiss, Michael Jursa, Georg Schett, Dieter Schmalstieg, Joachim Schöberl
2003: Georg Kresse, Hanns-Christoph Nägerl, Andreas Villunger
2004: Thomas Bachner, Michael Kunzinger, Vassil Palankovski, Thomas Prohaska, Gerhard Schütz
2005: Michael Hintermüller, Matthias Horn, Andrea Lusser, Michael Moser, Norbert Zimmermann
2006: Hartmut Häffner, Norbert Polacek, Piet Schmidt, Josef Teichmann, Gerald Teschl
2007: Kathrin Breuker, Thomas Bugnyar, Otfried Gühne, Bernhard Lamel, Thomas Lörting, Paul Mayrhofer, Sigrid Wadauer, Thomas Wallnig
2008: Markus Aspelmeyer, Tom J. Battin, Massimo Fornasier, Daniel Grumiller, Alexander Kendl, Karel Riha, Kristin Tessmar-Raible, Christina Waldsich
2009: Francesca Ferlaino, Ilse Fischer, Arthur Kaser, Manuel Kauers, Thorsten Schumm, David Teis
2010: Julius Brennecke, Barbara Horejs, Barbara Kraus, Melanie Malzahn, Florian Schreck, Bojan Zagrovic
2011: Peter Balazs, Agata Ciabattoni, Sebastian Diehl, Alwin Köhler, Thomas Müller, Peter Rabl, Michael Sixt, Philip Walther