The Danionella Prize

Why this Prize?

Danionella is a miniature, transparent fish native to South and Southeast Asia and increasingly used in neuroscience and behavior research. While the model is gaining global attention, it's important to recognize and promote bold, original science being done in the regions where this fish actually comes from. What makes the prize different is its selection philosophy: it doesn’t reward prestige or pedigree, but rather bold questions, thoughtful reasoning, and the smart use of modest tools — how much new insight is generated per research dollar spent?

There is a profound asymmetry between the number of motivated researchers and the resources available to them in the Global South, compared to the Global North. But this asymmetry also reveals an opportunity: even small improvements in resource allocation or research support can have disproportionate impact in underrepresented regions. While governments have a role to play, individual scientists and communities can also shift priorities — by valuing creativity over capital and insight over infrastructure.

This is a personal initiative — the prize is independently funded and managed, with a fixed minimum contribution from the creator and optional support from others.

What’s the Prize?

• Minimum $100 (personally funded by the creator); may increase to a maximum of $500 through optional contributions from others
• Awarded every March to 1 recipient (submissions close on 31st December of the previous year)
• Payout directly to the winner (in local currency)
• Excess funds roll over to the following year/s

How Is It Judged?

A small, independent panel will evaluate the submitted research papers or preprints. The emphasis will be on:

• Originality of the scientific question
• Creativity and clarity in experimental or analytical approach
• Scientific insight — whether through new experiments or thoughtful reuse of open data
• Not the prestige of the journal, institution, equipment, or PI

The review explicitly values research done with limited resources and celebrates frugal innovation — making the most of what you have. Great questions, not fancy tools, are what matter most. This ensures that researchers working outside the region’s most resource-rich institutions are not at a disadvantage.

Who Can Apply?

• First-author undergraduate or PhD students based in India or Myanmar
• The work must be conducted within India or Myanmar
• Must involve Danionella in any area of science — behavior, brain, ecology, evolution, etc.
• Must be a publication (including micropublications) or high-quality preprint from the same calendar year
• DOI required
• Work must reflect significant intellectual contribution by the applicant

How to Apply

Email your DOI (publication or preprint), along with 2–4 sentences about your role in the work, to:

Email: danionellaprize [at] protonmail [dot] com

Submission deadline: December 31

Winner announced: by March 31

To maximize impact, the award will be transferred directly to the recipient; not routed through any university or department.

Resources

Don’t have access to Danionella yet? No problem — you don’t need a live colony to participate. Creative re-use of open datasets to ask meaningful questions is strongly encouraged — science needs more of this. A few example datasets are listed below:

• 🧠 Brain Imaging Dataset — Hoffmann et al. (2023): https://gin.g-node.org/danionella/hoffmann_et_al_2023
• 🐟 Behavioral Dataset — Rajan et al. (2022): https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/pzwb8dj2hm/1
• 🧬 Hybrid Genome Assembly and Annotation — Kadobianskyi et al. (2019): https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Hybrid_genome_assembly_and_annotation_of_Danionella_translucida/4437488

Submissions that reuse these data in novel ways — modeling, re-analysis, interpretation — are welcome and encouraged.

Support and Mentorship

This is more than a monetary prize — it’s a way to foster new ideas and offer support. If you're an early-career researcher working on Danionella — even if you're just exploring ideas — I'm happy to offer scientific guidance or informal mentoring when I can. Reach out using your academic or institutional email.

Who’s Behind This?

I'm Gokul Rajan, a researcher focused on learning, memory, and brain imaging in Danionella. Learn more about my work or get in touch here: gokulrajan.xyz

This prize is not affiliated with any institution. It’s simply something I care about — a way to recognize thoughtful, creative science in the regions where this fish naturally lives.

Contribute

If you'd like to support this initiative, contributions in BTC are welcome and will be added to the prize pool — held in a transparent public BTC address.

BTC address:

Funds will be publicly tracked. The final prize will be paid in local currency to the winner to comply with regulations around cryptocurrency transfers.

Note: This is a personal initiative, not affiliated with any institution or registered nonprofit. Contributions are voluntary and not tax-deductible.