Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Advanced Analytics, Operations Research, and Management Science

2024 - Winner(s)

2024 Winner(s)

Winning material: Revenue and ESG-focused optimized ferry operation

Purpose of the Award

2025 & 2026 Committee Chair

Irv Lustig
Optimization Principal, Princeton Consultants 

View Full Committee List

The Franz Edelman competition attests to the contributions of operations research and analytics in both the profit and non-profit sectors. Since its inception, cumulative benefits from Edelman finalist projects has topped the $292 billion mark. Edelman finalist teams have improved organizational efficiency, increased profits, brought better products to consumers, helped foster peace negotiations, and saved lives. The purpose of the Franz Edelman competition is to bring forward, recognize and reward outstanding examples of operations research, management science, and advanced analytics in practice in the world, with $15,000 in awards. First prize is accompanied by a $10,000 honorarium.

See more detailed information on the award.

View the Edelman Gala book to read summaries of the 2024 finalists.

Download the 2024 Edelman Gala book

Videos of past competitions, suitable for teaching, marketing, or publicizing OR/MS practice successes, are available in the INFORMS Video Library. View the Franz Edelman Laureates (people) and the Franz Edelman Academy (companies).

Application Process

Apply for the leading O.R. and analytics award in the industry.  

Applications for 2025 are due October 1, 2024 (noon eastern). 

Click here for instructions

About the Award/Namesake

Franz Edelman

Franz Edelman is counted among the fathers of innovation in OR/MS. Coming of age in Hitler's Germany, Edelman dedicated his career to facilitating better decisions on matters great and small through operations research. Today, his discoveries, along with other OR/MS pioneers, inspire initiatives to help leaders get better results in every sector of management and operations.

This top INFORMS practice prize was named after Franz Edelman shortly after his death in 1982. He established one of the earliest industrial OR/MS groups in North America at RCA, where he worked for over 30 years as O.R. director.

Franz Edelman died suddenly on January 15, 1982. He learned about the capriciousness of life from his early experiences, fleeing to England from his native Germany at the age of 16, only to be interned as an alien and sent to Canada for an interlude of lumberjacking. He received his undergraduate education at McGill University, and he obtained a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Brown University...

Learn more about Franz Edelman

 

This award is administered by the Practice Section of INFORMS. To learn more about the section and how to become a member, visit their website here.


Past Awardees

2024 Winner(s)
Molslinjen
2023 Winner(s)
Walmart
2022 Winner(s)
Government of Chile, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science, Knowledge and Innovation
2022 Finalist
U.S. Census Bureau
2016 Winner(s)
UPS 2016 Edelman
2015 Winner(s)
Syngenta 2015 Edelman
2012 Winner(s)
TNT Express
2011 Winner(s)
MISO
2010 Winner(s)
INDEVAL
2009 Winner(s)
Hewlett-Packard Co.
2008 Winner(s)
Netherlands Railways
2004 Winner(s)
Motorola Inc.
2003 Winner(s)
Canadian Pacific Railway
2002 Winner(s)
Continental Airlines
2001 Winner(s)
Merrill Lynch
2000 Winner(s)
Jeppesen
1999 Winner(s)
IBM
1998 Winner(s)
Bosques Arauco
1993 Winner(s)
AT&T
1991 Winner(s)
American Airlines
1989 Winner(s)
ABB Electric, Inc.
1987 Winner(s)
Syntex Laboratories, Inc.
1986 Winner(s)
CITGO
1985 Winner(s)
Weyerhaeuser Company
1984 Winner(s)
Blue Bell, Inc.
1981 Winner(s)
ANR Freight System
1979 Winner(s)
Greater NY Blood Program
1978 Winner(s)
Cahill May Roberts, Ltd
1977 Winner(s)
Syncrude
1976 Winner(s)
AT&T
1975 Winner(s)
Xerox Corporation
1972 Winner(s)
Pillsbury Company