| Award Ceremony 1 (during President’s Dinner) |
| Saturday, 22 August 2026 | 18:00–20:30 | Park Hyatt Busan (Invitation Only) |
| Outstanding Service Award |
Presented to IFAC officials who have served and contributed substantially to IFAC in various capacities.
2026 Winners: Chris Aldrich, Anuradha Annaswamy, Richard Braatz, Jie Chen, Alessandro Chiuso, Rolf Findeisen, Huijun Gao, Fouad Giri, Maurice Heemels, Dmitry Ivanov, Derik Le Roux, Ivan Petrovic, Anthony Rossiter, Hyungbo Shim, Mario Sznaier, Andrew R. Teel, Tsu-Chin Tsao, Georg Weichhart
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| IFAC Fellows |
Awarded to persons who have made outstanding and extraordinary contributions in the field of interest of IFAC, in the role as an Engineer/Scientist, Technical Leader, or Educator.
2023-2026 Fellows: Daniel Y. Abramovitch, Alberto Bemporad, Franco Blanchini, Guang-Ren Duan, Thor I. Fossen, Emilia Fridman, Vijay Gupta, Sandra Hirche, Keum-Shik Hong, Naira Hovakimyan, Hideaki Ishii, John Lygeros, Silviu-Iulian Niculescu, Kristin Y. Pettersen, Anders Rantzer, Wei Ren, John Ringwood, Jacquelien M.A. Scherpen, Maarten Steinbuch, Mario Sznaier, Sophie Tarbouriech, Dawn M. Tilbury, Kevin A. Wise, Xinghuo Yu, Wei Xing Zheng
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| Harold Chestnut Control Engineering Textbook Prize |
Presented for the best Control Engineering textbook whose first edition appeared not later than the previous Congress, recognizing the author(s) who most contributed to the education of control engineers.
2026 Winner: Francesco Bullo
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| Award Ceremony 2 (during Opening Ceremony) |
| Sunday, 23 August 2026 | 17:30–19:00 | Auditorium, BEXCO |
| Giorgio Quazza Medal |
Recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to conceptual foundations in the field of systems and control. Created in 1979 in memory of Giorgio Quazza.
2026 Winner: Arthur J. Krener
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| Nathaniel B. Nichols Medal |
Recognizes outstanding contributions to design methods, software tools, instrumentation, or significant projects in control engineering. Created in 1996.
2026 Winner: Stephen P. Boyd
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| Manfred Thoma Medal |
Recognizes outstanding contributions of a young researcher or engineer under the age of 40 to the field of systems and control. Created in 2015.
2026 Winner: Yongxin Chen
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| Industrial Achievement Award |
Awarded to an individual, or team who has made a significant contribution to industrial applications of control.
2026 Winner: Raffaello D’Andrea
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| High Impact Paper Award |
Acknowledges the impact of a paper published in an official IFAC journal on Automatic Control theory and application. Introduced in 2009.
2026 Winners: Romeo Ortega, Arjan van der Schaft, Bernhard Maschke, Gerardo Escobar
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| Appointment of New Advisors |
Hajime Asama, Carlos Eduardo Pereira, Sarah K. Spurgeon
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| Award Ceremony 3 (during Closing Ceremony) |
| Friday, 28 August 2026 | 16:00–18:00 | Auditorium, BEXCO |
| Acknowledgment of IFAC Distinguished Lecturers |
Certificates presented to those who delivered lectures during this triennium in recognition of their contributions through the IFAC Distinguished Lecturer Program.
2023-2026 Distinguished Lecturers: Lucy Pao, Mustafa Khammash, Na Li, Hyungbo Shim, J. Geoff Chase, Hideaki Ishii, Bruno Siciliano, Lei Guo, Alexandre Dolgui
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| Journal Awards |
| Automatica Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Matteo Della Rossa, Thiago Alves Lima, Marc Jungers, Raphaël M. Jungers: Graph-based conditions for feedback stabilization of switched and LPV systems
- Gianluigi Pillonetto, Aleksandr Aravkin, Daniel Gedon, Lennart Ljung, Antônio H. Ribeiro, Thomas B. Schön: Deep networks for system identification: A survey
- Sei Zhen Khong, Chao Chen, and Alexander Lanzon: Feedback stability analysis via dissipativity with dynamic supply rates
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Control Engineering Practice Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- M. Niederer, P. Zeman, S. Sannes, H. Seyrkammer, G. Helekal, A. Kugi, A. Steinboeck: Nonlinear model predictive temperature control of a cooling process for steel strips undergoing phase transformations
- M. Thomas, T. Englert, O. Sawodny: Model-based velocity-tracking-control of self-erecting industrial tower cranes
- M. Bolderman, H. Butler, S. Koekebakker, E. v. Horssen, R. Kamidi, T. Span-Burke, N. Strijbnosch, M. Lazar: Physics-guided neural networks for feedforward control with input-tostate-stability guarantees
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| Journal of Process Control Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Survey:
Marcelo M. Morato et Monica S. Felix: Data Science and Model Predictive Control: A survey of recent advances on data-driven MPC algorithms
- Theory/Methodology:
Dinesh Krishnamoorthy: ECCBO: An inherently safe Bayesian optimization with embedded constraint control for real-time process optimization
- Application:
Pourya Azadi, Hossam Elwan, Rainer Klock and Sebastian Engell: Improved operation of a large-scale blast furnace using a hybrid dynamic model based optimizing control scheme
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| Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Winner in the THEORY category:
Yu, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Cheng, Z.; Song, Z.; Tang, C.: MCA: multidimensional collaborative attention in deep convolutional neural networks for image recognition
- Winner in the APPLICATION category:
Wenqi Cai, Arash Bahari Kordabad, and Sebastien Gros: Energy management in residential microgrid using model predictive control based reinforcement learning and Shapley value.
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| Mechatronics Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Jingjie Wu and Lei Zhou: Transcending the acceleration–bandwidth trade-off: Over-actuated precision motion stages with selective compliance and servo stiffness
- Suarez, A.; Nekoo, S.R.; Ollero, A.: Ultra-lightweight anthropomorphic dual-arm rolling robot for dexterous manipulation tasks on linear infrastructures: A self-stabilizing system
- Hofer, M.; Muehlebach, M.; D'Andrea, R.: The One-Wheel Cubli: A 3D inverted pendulum that can balance with a single reaction wheel
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| Nonlinear Analysis: Hybrid Systems Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Gabriel A. Gleizer and Manuel Mazo Jr.: Computing the average inter-sample time of event-triggered control using quantitative automata
- Yiming Meng and Jun Liu: Lyapunov-barrier characterization of robust reach-avoid-stay specifications for hybrid systems
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| Annual Reviews in Control Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Rachel Gehlhar, Maegan Tucker, Aaron J. Young, and Aaron D. Ames: A review of current state-of-the-art control methods for lower-limb powered prostheses
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| Journal of Systems and Control Paper Prize |
2026 Winners:
- Eugenia Villa and Oriana Guagliardi and Valentina Breschi and Mara Tanelli: Fair closed-loop policies for fostering the energy transition: A control-oriented approach.
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| Congress Prizes |
| IFAC Congress Young Author Prizes (Theory) |
2026 Finalists:
- Reza Rahimi Baghbadorani: A Douglas-Rachford Splitting for Solving Monotone Affine Variational Inequalities in Linear-Quadratic Dynamic Games
(Co-authored by: Emilio Benenati, and Sergio Grammatico)
- Laura Boca de Giuli: Learning-Based Predictive Control with Bayesian Neural Networks under Safety Guarantees
(Co-authored by: Alessio La Bella, Manish Prajapat, Johannes Kohler, Anna Scampicchio, and Melanie N. Zeilinger)
- Sheng Dong: Accelerated Push-Pull Methods for Distributed Stochastic Nonconvex Optimization
(Co-authored by: Huijie Tao, and Weiguo Xia)
- Leonardo Duarte Vargas: From String to Mesh Stability of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems in Discrete-Time
(Co-authored by: Alessio Iovine, Mattia Mattioni, and Cristina Stoica)
- Joshua Ibrahim: Data-Driven Probabilistic Fault Detection and Identification Via Density Flow Matching
(Co-authored by: Mahdi Taheri, Soon-Jo Chung, and Fred Y. Hadaegh)
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| IFAC Congress Young Author Prizes (Applications) |
2026 Finalists:
- Maximilian Bloor: Addressing Terminal Constraints in Data-Driven Demand Response Scheduling
(Co-authored by: Martha White, Ehecatl Antonio del Rio-Chanona, and Calvin Tsay)
- Vincent de Heij: Distributed Traffic State Estimation in V2X-Enabled Connected Vehicle Networks
(Co-authored by: M. Umar B. Niazi, Saeed Ahmed, and Karl H. Johansson)
- Kaspar Schmerling: Optimal State Preparation for Impulse Estimation in Gaussian Quantum Systems
(Co-authored by: Andreas Kugi, and Andreas Deutschmann-Olek)
- Yuri Shimane: Scenario-Based Model Predictive Control for Station Keeping on Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit
(Co-authored by: Masafumi Isaji, Avishai Weiss, and Stefano Di Cairano)
- Oussama Sifour: Cascaded Tightly-Coupled Observer Design for Single-Range-Aided Inertial Navigation
(Co-authored by: Abdelhamid Tayebi, and Soulaimane Berkane)
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| IFAC Congress Interactive Paper Prizes (Theory) |
2026 Finalists:
- Neural Network-Based Co-Design of Output-Feedback Control Barrier Function and Observer with Input Constraints:
Vaishnavi Jagabathula, Ahan Basu, and Pushpak Jagtap
- Federated Distributional Reinforcement Learning under Heterogeneous Environments Via Quantile Regression:
Wanmin Wang, Hongzhe Liu, Wenying Xu, Wenwu Yu and Wei Xing Zheng
- Polynomial Chaos Approximation for Worst-Case Transient Performance of Linear Systems:
Mario Izquierdo Serra, Maurice Martin, Simon Delchambre, Stefan Winkler and Harald Pfifer
- Velocity Tracking for Autonomous Railway-Based UrbanloopPods by Contraction:
Weihao Wang, Jérémie Kreiss, Pietro Lorenzetti, Letizia Licitra, Gaëtan Lefebvre and Romain Postoyan
- Optimal Platoon Formation and Stable Benefit Allocation in Mixed-Energy Truck Fleets under Size Limitations:
Ting Bai, Xinfeng Ru, Shaoyuan Li, and Andreas Malikopoulos
- On the Nonexistence of Continuous Immersions for Discrete-Time Systems:
Eron Ristich, Eduardo Sontag, and Necmiye Ozay
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| IFAC Congress Interactive Paper Prizes (Applications) |
2026 Finalists:
- Headland Turning Path Planning towards Coverage Path Planning for a Robotic Vehicle with a Towed Implement in Orchards: Yoshitomo Yamasaki and Noboru Noguchi
- Reduced-Complexity Vehicle Mass Estimation Using Series-Production Sensors Validated with Static and Dynamic Experimental Data: Carlos Wübbeler, Simon F. G. Ehlers, Thomas Seel, Clemens Westerkamp, Frederic Böhse, Alexander Lundberg and Daniel Oliver Martin Weber
- Robust Data-Driven Control for Vehicle Merging in Mixed Traffic: Heeseung Bang, Aditya Deepak Dave, and Andreas Malikopoulos
- Multi-Domain Graph-Based Modeling of Energy Systems with Applications to Lithium-Ion Batteries: Mahsa Hemmat and Andrew G. Alleyne
- Personalized Energy-Aware Regenerative Braking Control Minimizing Driver Interventions: Beomchang Kim, Jae Hwan Lee, Dongryul Kim, Dohee Kim, Sangho LEE and Kyoungseok Han
- Adaptive Sliding Mode Attitude and Momentum Control of VLEO Spacecraft without Additional Actuators: Jeongho Park, Junsung Wi, and Hyosang Yoon
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| IFAC Congress Application Paper Prize |
2026 Finalists:
- Data-driven Vibration Suppression of Stacker Crane through Mast Top Position Tracking Control: Kiyotaka Hamanaka, Wataru Ohnishi, Takafumi Koseki, Mitsuki Asai, Shuta Ano, Masamichi Nawa and Norihiko Kato
- Multi-Stage Robust Optimization of Microgrid with 5G Base Stations Based on Affine Decision Rules: Fanfan Li, Yuzhou Zhou, Qiaozhu Zhai, Jiexing Zhao, Xiaoyu Cao and Xiaohong Guan
- A Frequency-Domain Approach for Identification and Compensation of Cable Hysteresis in a Stage Control System: Dirk Alferink, Levi Stolwijk, Thijs Adriaan Cornelis van Keulen, Rob H.B. Fey, Nathan van de Wouw and Marcel Heertjes
- Large-Range Scanning by CLSM and Sidewall Region Segmentation for AFM Re-Characterization: Huang-Chih Chen, Ting-An Chou, Yong-Jia Tan, Chia-Hsiang Ho and Li-Chen Fu
- Risk-Sensitive Graph Reinforcement Learning for Reliable Cloud Service Upgrade Planning: Tianyi Xia, Zhaoming Tian and Xiaoyu Cao
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