The 2017 MERAC Prize for the Best Early Career Researcher in Theoretical Astrophysics is awarded to Prof. Selma E. de Mink for her major contributions to our understanding of the role of binarity as one of the dominant physical parameters for massive stars.

The 2017 MERAC Prize for the Best Early Career Researcher in Observational Astrophysics is awarded to Prof. Kevin Schawinski for his groundbreaking work on the galaxy/black hole connection and innovative use of citizen science in astrophysics.

The 2017 MERAC Prize for the Best Early Career Researcher in New Technologies (Computational) is awarded to Dr Emmanuel Hugot for his unique and pioneering work on innovative astronomical instrumentation, based on active systems, freeform optics and curved focal planes.