New York City · November 2026
Where discovery
takes center stage
Friday, November 6 On stage at the awards ceremony
Science Under Siege
Panel with Dr. Michael E. Mann and Dr. Barry Barish, moderated by Les Guthman
An Asteroid Named Kate Bush
Excerpt — Jan Rosenberg and their original cast
Einstein! The Play
Excerpt — Jack Fry
Tickets
Buy tickets Press with credentials do not need one. Discounted hotel rates are available.
Our mission is to humanize science and bring fact-based experts to the forefront of popular culture by celebrating the best science storytelling in the world.
The four days
Tickets
On sale now. Credentialed press do not need a ticket — see press access below. Discounted hotel rates are available for festival guests.
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The awards ceremony
Every 2026 award is announced from the stage at the Bruno Walter Auditorium, the festival's only night at Lincoln Center. The evening opens with a red carpet and press line, and closes with a VIP reception.
The auditorium is at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, entrance at 111 Amsterdam Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets.
- 5:00 – 6:00 pmRed carpet and press line
- 6:00 – 8:00 pmAwards ceremonyThree staged items run between the award announcements:
- On stageScience Under SiegePanelWith Dr. Michael E. Mann and Dr. Barry Barish, moderated by Les Guthman
- On stageAn Asteroid Named Kate BushExcerptPerformed by Jan Rosenberg and their original cast — a short excerpt, not the full play
- On stageEinstein! The PlayExcerptPerformed by Jack Fry — a short excerpt; the full play is staged on November 7 at the Triad Theater
- 8:00 – 9:30 pmVIP reception
Science Under Siege
How to fight the five most powerful forces that threaten our world
A panel on the book, written with Peter J. Hotez, and the five forces behind the modern anti-science movement. Moderated by Les Guthman.
Michael E. MannPresidential distinguished professor of earth and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media.
Barry Barish2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his leadership of LIGO's discovery of the first coalescing black holes and their gravitational waves. Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus, at Caltech.
Les Guthman ModeratorAward-winning documentary director, writer, producer and production executive. Raw Science Board of Advisors.
Friday, November 6, 2026
Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center,
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
EINSTEIN!
Saturday, November 7 · 2:00 pm
Triad Theater NY · 158 W 72nd St
Jack Fry's award-winning solo play follows Albert Einstein through his early years in Berlin as he fights to prove general relativity, with the First World War, a sceptical scientific establishment and a family coming apart closing in around him.
Written and performed by Jack Fry, directed by Tom Blomquist. EINSTEIN! won the Best Public Art Award at the 2025 Raw Science Film Festival; an excerpt is also staged at the awards ceremony on November 6.
Funny, touching, intimate… a triumph!The Huffington Post
Triad Theater NY
158 W 72nd St, New York, NY 10023
A cabaret-style venue on the Upper West Side, between Columbus and Amsterdam. It was the original home of Forbidden Broadway, Forever Plaid, Spamilton and Celebrity Autobiography, and the stage where Lady Gaga made her professional debut.
Upper West Side
Seating is cabaret-style and unreserved outside the VIP block, so arrive early. The 1, 2 and 3 trains stop at 72nd St and Broadway; the B and C stop at 72nd St and Central Park West.
Who is here
Dr. Michael E. Mann
Panel — Science Under Siege
Presidential distinguished professor at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media. He contributed to the work recognised by the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2020. Event details
Photo: Joshua Yospyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — cropped
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Dr. Barry Barish
Panel — Science Under Siege
Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his leadership of LIGO's discovery of the first coalescing black holes and their gravitational waves. Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at Caltech, where he taught for four decades.
Jon Halperin
President of the Jury — Film
An animation and documentary director, producer and writer who has told science stories, horror stories, adventure stories and history stories — sometimes all at once. He leads the 2026 film jury and presides over the final award decisions. Biography
Dr. Newton Campbell Jr.
President of the Jury — Science
Jurist since 2018, board member of The Planetary Society, and formerly an AI subject-matter expert with NASA. Biography
Photo: Vitaliy Burov
Dr. Kimberly Kowal Arcand
Presenting at the festival · Board of Advisors
Visualization scientist and emerging tech lead for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, and an author on how data becomes something people can see, hear and touch. She presents at the 2026 festival and sits on the Board of Advisors. Biography
Mark Levinson
Special filmmaker guest
Physicist turned filmmaker, director of Particle Fever and The Bit Player, and a recipient of the inaugural Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2016. Biography
Photo: Scott Dressel-Martin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — cropped
Rhashad Lawery
Special guest
Entrepreneur, technology founder, digital creator and UC Berkeley student in economics and data science. Founder and CEO of Lumo, an AI company focused on improving how complex physical environments operate. A Top 10 finalist on MasterChef Junior Season 7, he has since built an audience of more than 367,000 across TikTok and Instagram, working across technology, entrepreneurship, media and science communication. Instagram · TikTok
Kevin R. Grazier, Ph.D.
Board of Advisors
Planetary scientist and science advisor for film and television. Biography
Namir Khaliq
Board of Advisors
Founder of Protostellar Media, a production company built to help scientists tell stories. Biography
Les Guthman
Board of Advisors · Panel moderator
Award-winning documentary director, writer, producer and production executive. Biography
Full listings: 2026 Jury · 2026 Board · Festival team
Keri Kukral
Founder & Board Chair
Kukral is a biomedical engineer, film producer and former professional ballet dancer. She holds a degree in bioelectrical engineering from Purdue University and has built a long career in medical device product development. As a child she was hand-selected by Ruth Page from the Arie Crown Theater stage for a full scholarship to the Ruth Page Foundation, and went on to perform under directors including Larry Long, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Peter Anastos.
That path — STEM built on a foundation in the performing arts — shapes her conviction that the visual and performing arts are essential to engaging the public in science.
2026 winners
Judging runs October 1–24. Each award is announced from the stage at the ceremony on Friday, November 6.
announced
Press get the list first. The 2026 winners list goes to press on October 16, 2026, under embargo — nothing runs until each award is announced from the stage on November 6. Ask for it when you apply for credentials. Credential requests close October 31.
Last year's winners
Fauci, Corey discuss HIV cure, scientific literacy at Boston’s Museum of ScienceWatch · 2025 winner, Ending HIV: The Journey to a VaccineAbout the festival
- Edition
- 13th annual, 2026
- Dates
- November 4–7, 2026, New York City
- Awards ceremony
- Friday, November 6 — Bruno Walter Auditorium, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
- Winners list
- Available to press from October 16, 2026, under embargo until announced from the stage on November 6
- Submissions
- Open through October 1, 2026 via FilmFreeway
- Non-profit status
- Fiscally sponsored member project of New York Live Arts, Inc.; contributions are tax-deductible
- Hashtag
- #RawScience2026
- Online
- rawsciencefilmfestival.com · IMDb
From the archive
Ceremony, screenings, performances and reception photography from previous years, free for editorial use with credit to the photographer and the Raw Science Film Festival.
See the full photo gallery — high-resolution files on request.
What press can cover
One credential covers screenings, the ceremony, the reception and scheduled interview time.
Red carpet & ceremony
Press line 5–6 pm, then reserved seating. Winners list October 16, embargoed.
VIP reception
Limited passes to the private reception straight after the awards.
Interviews
Filmmakers, jurors, winners and guests, booked in advance across all four days.
Screenings & workshops
Subject to house capacity. Screeners on request before the festival.
Stills & footage
Designated positions; broadcast crews by arrangement. Assets on request.
Images & archive
Photo gallery
Photography from previous festivals — ceremony, red carpet and audience.
View the galleryVideo
Past red carpet interviews, panels, ceremony footage and filmmaker conversations.
Watch on YouTubeLogos, film stills, headshots, award descriptions and high-resolution festival photography are available on request — say what format and resolution you need. info@rawsciencefilmfestival.com
Press credentials
How to apply
Email your outlet, your name and role, crew size if you are bringing one, and what you plan to cover. Ask about the VIP reception and interview slots in the same email — both are limited. Confirmations are issued on a rolling basis.
Requests close Friday, October 31, 2026. The winners list goes to press on October 16, under embargo until each award is announced from the stage on November 6.
info@rawsciencefilmfestival.com
Logos, stills and press assets: 2026 media kit. Discounted festival rates are held at several hotels — hotel discounts.
Media contact
Keri Kukral
Founder
keri@rawsciencefilmfestival.com
Please tag coverage #RawScience2026. X · Facebook · YouTube · IMDb
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